Hi, fellow ferret lovers..
I would love some words of wisdom from those of you who may have dealt
with this predicament.

Last Tuesday I got the word from the surgeon that I definitely need a
total left hip replacement. I was fine with that, but when he said I
wouldn't be able to bend and pick things off the floor for about six
months minimum, my wonderful ferrety world of happiness started to
unravel. How can I have 14 ferrets and not bend over? They range from
2 years to 7+ years old. Mostly these are the old-timers who are not
wanted because they are naked now, or have severe IBD, or some other
illness that makes them not-so-adoptable. These fuzzy friends are my
life! I can't imagine my world without them. I'll have about 3 or 4
months to get my ducks in a row before surgery, and I don't even know
how to start the thinking process for what may turn out to be the end
of my 13 year love affair with ferrets. I get so bummed even trying to
think about it, I'm about ready to cancel the surgery.

Has anyone else gone through this and come out the other side of it
still happy? I've already stopped taking in new old ones (that I know
would thrive in my care), because it takes the whole day to tend to
the ones I already have. It hurt to do that; I've retired from the
part-time job I had at a wonderful veterinary hospital as well, and
that hurts too. I can't give them up! Being an old-timer myself, I was
counting on mother nature to slowly reduce the numbers for me, and now
I may not have that choice. That really hurts! Is there some way to
have surgery and still keep my fuzzies? I have some volunteer help but
not enough to cover what they need. And six months is a long time to
consider farming them out. What in the world to do??

Lavon

Everything happens for a reason.

[Posted in FML 7620]