>From:    WENDY
>
>Over the last week or so there has been a bitter dispute against the
>women who is selling here ferret supplies on e-bay.  It seems to me that
>the major issue is the money.  Most animal shelters I know of charge a
>adoption fee.  County Owned shelters will charge a flexable charge
>depending if the animal is fixed or intact.  No matter what items were
>dropped off with the animals orginally the adopting family only gets the
>animal....
>
>It seems to me that the shelter is more upset that there is a possablity
>of ferrets finding a new home and someone else getting the money.  The
>only difference between adoption and a sale is the Tax Break.
 
Wow - I'm not sure I've ever felt a nerve being hit quite like I did
in this post partially included below.  I really hope I am just
misunderstanding this comments below because I'm reading this to say
that the poster, whose last name & e-mail addy I have deleted out of
consideration to her, thinks that we shelters are raking it in between
adoption fees and the re-sale of used ferret cages!?
 
Just in case this is what you were thinking, I'd like to point out that
there may be a few things you've not considered.  And I do this with no
intentions of being confrontational - just hoping to be informative.
 
Every ferret who comes through my doors (and most shelters) goes to the
vet for an initial health check:
 
Office visit $29.50
Dispemper Vaccine $18.50
Rabies Vaccine $14.50
Add an ADV test as many shelters do this as routine now $5 (for the
cheapest but not best)
 
If he's a young and healthy ferret, I could get out of the vet for $67.50
But, they're rarely young & healthy.
 
Over 3 yrs old, better have some blood work done so we have a better
understanding of where he stands with all those things ferrets develop
as they age - glucose, liver & kidney values, etc.  $42
 
Terrible dental health - Cleaning $45
 
Missing half his hair due to Adrenal disease?  This isn't just a cosmetic
issue, this has serious consequences internally as well so now we're
talking surgery $300-$600.  And possible post surgical treatment with
Lupron injections or Melatonin implants - $20 to $150 every 4-6 months
depending on which.
 
Oops - no adrenal, but he's got something really big in his belly - lets
get an x-ray $53
 
Oh ya, that's a mass, a giant spleen spleen, a foreigh body - Surgery
$300-$600
 
And I'm being honest here - this is not the exception......these things
are very common in the animals we receive into the shelter.
 
In the best of circumstances, a totally healthy, quickly adoptable
ferret, I can plan on at least $100 in expenses between the vet and
general daily supplies (food, laxitone, nutrical, ferretone, bedding,
laundry, OTC meds, litter, paper towels, etc) but the ferrets that come
in and require surgeries or extensive medical care drive up that average
cost by hundreds of dollars and very often never get adopted, so you've
got life-long expenses.
 
I would have to say the majority of shelters are in the biz with the love
of the ferret and his well-being above all else.  We literally live to
see these animals get their much needed medical care and to be adopted
into loving, forever homes.  If you think an adoption fee of $60 or the
sale of a used cage begins to cover average costs, you're just mistaken.
 
When you say the major issue is money, YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT, because
without it, we can't help the next ferret surrendered who is walked
through the door or the group of 7 abandoned in a cardboard box outside
the door.  And when you say the only difference between an adoption and a
sale is a tax break, it makes me think you might want to go spend a few
months volunteering at a shelter, 5-7 days a week, after work as this is
when most of we shelter operators are doing our ferret care and returning
calls and having adoption appointments, washing bedding and balancing the
books.  While you're there, you'd see the steady stream of incoming
ferrets, the never ending vet expenses, the ferrets on a waiting list for
surgery because the funds are not there and try to tell me that this
shelter operator doesn't want to get every single ferret there adopted
out to the perfect home.
 
Jerri Carel
The Ferret Haven
[Posted in FML issue 4964]