I can`t believe a week has gone by since we picked her up from the
airport in Chicago!
Her email that morning read "Recognizing me at the airport" "I will be
wearing some fairly bright blue boots, and perhaps a jacket to match"
(Nothing about height, weight, age, or hair color etc.---just bright
blue BOOTS????) I told my husband "Oboy. This woman is going to be
with us for two weeks. We`re in trouble." Strangely enough, it worked
though. We spotted her right away!!!
We have had a pretty full week. Lisette came from two hours away , and
our web designer came from over an hour away to meet Nell, & we shared
lots of ferret stories & experiences. Gregg cooked a wonderful lunch
for Nell, and all of our company, last Saturday. During the week, Nell
has seen a surrender of a little heart patient, observed a ferret
crash & revival, listened to some heart & lung sounds, learned how to
recognize several ferret maladies, learned how to do a blood glucose
test and a fecal test, learned a better way to syringe feed, and an
easier way to do subQ fluids. She has scooped some litterpans, met
two former owners who returned to visit the babies they surrendered
to Zoo`s Ferret Sanctuary, and met a family we counseled.
Tuesday, we took the drive to visit Beth Randall`s Critter Camp. The
first animal we encountered was a beautiful, silver arctic fox--one
of the most astonishing creatures I have ever seen. Then there were
rabbits, guinea pigs, snakes, lizzards, rats, mice, degus, doves,
parrots (and other various birds!)--a wide variety of animals--and of
course, their 26 ferrets, clean, & well cared for. (Thank you for the
tour, Beth! Nell was happy to meet you, & I finally kept my promise
to "get to YOUR place, one of these days"!)
Ethiopia is way behind the U.S. in the area of veterinary care. Nell
is learning all she can, about ferret illnesses & how to counter some
of them. We are not vets here, but we have a broad base of experience,
and are willing to share what has worked for us.
Prior to this trip, I think Nell believed that adrenal disease and
insulinoma were "the kiss of death"--but now she has seen ferrets with
these conditions, being medically managed, running & playing happily,
all over the room.. She has seen lymphoma babies ducking in & out of
tunnels--and ones with inoperable masses who act as normally as any of
the others. She is learning what to look for, & ways to keep them
comfortable.
Sometime in the next few days, she will learn how to divide a syringe
of lupron into individual doses, how to mix it, & how to administer it.
She has already seen the effects of this wonder drug by observing our
21 who have been helped by it. She will learn how to mix meds to treat
ear mites too--and whatever else we can think of to teach her.
Hard to believe our visit is half over--but in a week, she will be
meeting some of YOU! You`re in for a treat. Nell is a wonderful
person, and a lot of fun.
More later.
Love,
Zoo
[Posted in FML 6140]
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