Dear FML - For many years I have been available 24 hours a day via
telephone and e-mail for help on emergency health care questions for
ferrets.  This has been my main activity in serving as LIFE's Health
Coordinator.  As of this posting, I herby resign this position and will
no longer be functioning as a 24 hour contact.  For those who have this
information posted on web sites, please remove.  I understand from Anne
Ryan, LIFE's President, that she has a vet who might be interested in
taking over the position.  This will, of course, be much better and as
such, a vet would be in a position to do much more for LIFE.
 
I will continue to be one of Pam Green's ferret helpers and, of course,
will accept emergency calls during the transition.
 
When I first popped out here on the FML, there were only a few who were
answering questions on health care and sick ferrets.  Of course, never to
replace vet care, but to be there when a ferret owner needed advice help.
 
Now, there are many wonderful and knowledgeable people willing to quickly
get back to someone in need and share experiences and offer advice.  There
are also a number of ferret contact people across the country.  This is
good because so very many people are still not on computers - I know this
is hard to believe!  (In fact my knowledge on computers falls into the
idiot range).
 
In honest assessment, don't think I will be missed.  Just a small, very
small cog in the scheme of things.  But I do have a lot of memories and
tons of notes and e-mails.  Last count was 3,915 in 16 month period.  I
admit that I have had problems in keeping up with all of this, and except
for emergency e-mails am running about a month behind on other e-mail.
Yesterday, I received 25 calls recorded by caller ID on health related
matters, the last one at 12:30 a.m.  I took calls from 6:30 a.m. yesterday
until about 4 p.m.  when I had to run out for some errands and resumed when
I returned.  Today I have not received any calls.  It sometime goes like
that!
 
With your forbearance, I will reminisce a bit and give a wee report as I
"sign" out.  Because I took calls 24 hours a day and on holidays, that is
when I receive the most calls.  Many holidays I have been literally glued
to the phone.  And, as often happened as it did a couple of nights ago, a
caller in the middle of the night said "Oh, you really do answer at 3:00
a.m.!" My friends have often been frustrated or peeved at me because I
don't have time to take their calls on high call days.  Now I will have a
bit more time to talk their ears off :-) Also now my family perhaps not be
so annoyed with me on holidays.
 
But I have truly enjoyed being able at times to be of some help, or
sometimes just to be there.  And there have been calls that I have not been
able to return if I was not here or able to pick up the phone.  Always
remember when you leave a number on someone's machine to slow down and
speak clearly and repeat your phone number.
 
By far, the most frequent call for help involves a dehydrated ferret, no
matter what the primary physical problem.  Most find they have a crisis
when this occurs for the first time.  At sometime in the near future, I
will write an article about this and post here.
 
ECE or a similar viral/bacterial enteritis is sweeping around again.  Most
of my calls in the last several months have been about ferrets sick with
diarrhea.  This latest up swing in reports is not really geographically
trackable because it is every where in the country.  One common theme keeps
popping up.  Majority of reports are soon after a kit or another ferret
has been added to the household, or ferret owner has handled a pet store
ferret.  From what I have been able to track, it seems to be coming from
the distributors.  Without checking back in my notes or e-mails, I think
this distributor connection has been going on for about a year now (feel
free to correct me if I am wrong)!
 
More people are becoming aware of the symptoms of adrenal and/or pancreatic
disease and a lot of calls are questions about surgery or post-op care.
In just following the increase of these calls or inquiries, it at first
appears that these two diseases are on the increase.  However, over recent
years, ferret ownership and dissemination of information has improved and
so I believe the ratios of occurrence are about at the same odds for a
ferret.
 
One ferret illness, lymphoma, does seem to be increasing.  I don't know if
this also falls into the category of better knowledge and contacts; but
reports are at twice the incidence now as compared to five years ago.
 
As to ADV, a hot topic right now, I can tell you that the last reports on
ADV or parvo incidence was in 1998 and going back, it seems to pop up about
every 2 years or so.  The reports in 1998 covered the same geographic area
as current problems.  This time, however, there are many people working on
the problem.
 
Well, that is enough depressing sick news for now.  I am glad to have been
a part of LIFE for so long.  Now, perhaps I will have more time to write
silly stories.  (O.K., stop groaning!).  Tomorrow I will write an update
on the Millennium kits.  They have me totally entranced.  God bless.  Meg
 
Meg Carpenter
Chaotic Ferrets
An ECE and ADV Free Ferretry
[Posted in FML issue 2954]