Hello everyone!  I hope everyone is doing well or better from illnesses.
Special thoughts go out to folks with sick fuzzies or ones that have gone
to a better place than this world.
 
I first need some advice.  The Springfield Ferret Assoc. and my boyfriend
and I are becoming quite a shelter now days.  We have taken in 2 ferrets
(nothing compared to others but a big step for us.  However, we have adopted
both ourselves).  A boy named Rodman that was abused and we took in a little
girl about 3 weeks ago.  Her name is Bandit and she has adrenal gland
disease.  She is mostly bald and is very thin.  According to the past owners
she is about 4 years old.  We took her to the vet and Dr. Roche did some
research on the disease and found a dr.  in town that has done the surgery
before.  Both said that with her advanced state that she may not survive the
surgery or they may find the disease is worse than they thought.  In that
case, they would not wake her up.  We don't know what to do.  Do we try the
surgery in the hopes that it helps?  Do we not do the surgery and try to
make her life more meaningful while we can?  The past owners did not let her
out of the cage much and not at all for the last 6 months.  We let her out
when we are home, but during the day she is in the cage.  Our other 3
ferrets run free and we don't want them to accidently hurt her.  She isn't
eating hardly anything and we've tried almost everything, even stuff that's
not too good for her.  She's been eating a little bit of Kitten Chow.  I
called the vet and told her we decided not to do the surgery and she said
that she would have come to the same conclusion.  But now I'm rethinking the
situation.  Any advice?
 
We have all read up on the disease and Dr. Roche explained the example of
one adrenal gland not working if the bad one is taken out and other things
that could go/be wrong.  But then I hear the good stories of recoveries on
the FML.  I sure miss the days when my dad make my decisions for me.
 
I also wanted to let folks know about the Springfield Ferret Association's
1st Birthday bash.  We will be one year old in March and thought we'd have a
party.  It's from 6:30 to 8:00 pm on March 20.  It will be held in
Springfield MO at the Oak Grove Community Center.  For more information,
just email me.
 
To Brian's story of the pet store, I'm glad it's going better.  I have never
in my life shoplifted, but I would have put that little fuzz in my pocket
and walked out.  But then of course they'd do it again.  Your approach was
much more reasonable.  I think I'm becoming very radical in my old age.
 
Fuzzy kisses,
Melissa and Todd-the ferret slaves
Pippen-Matriarch of the home
Jordan-Master jumper
Rodman-Attitude king
Bandit-Sweet as pie
[Posted in FML issue 1830]