Daniel my five y.o. poley hob died yesterday (the 15th) at the vets. Ant, the vet, had his instructions that if he found that Daniel was too bad to for surgery he was to let him go. Apparently Daniel had a massive tumour that was compressing his bladder hence the dribbling of urine. One thing that did puzzle the vet was that Daniel wanted to mate, it sort of masked the real trouble. Daniel died on what would have been Ron's birthday. Ron passed away on the 31st May - I'm still trying to come to terms with his loss... Having the all the ferrets to look after does help in a way, you can't just sit back, the ferrets need me... I also lost one my lads when I was on holiday in Devon, Sparky went to sleep one evening and just didn't wake up the following morning. I only hope he's been able to find the others that have gone to RB as he was buried down in Devon. I've been hearing reports of a so called UK ferret welfare/rescue that is or is intending to undertake an extensive breeding programme. There is another rescue that has over 100 ferrets that are looking for good homes and this clown wants to breed more... Sounds like it's a waste of time the 'real' welfares trying to persuade ferret keepers to have their jills brought out of season using jill jabs or vasectomised hobs and then we hear of another so called welfare that is undermining all the work we are trying to do... BTW I and Ulrike are still waiting for information about the NEW National Ferret Welfare Society... does such a society exist or is it a figment of a fertile imagination? -- Sheila Bolton Ferret Welfare. Author of "All about your Ferret" - Ringpress ISBN 1-86054-171-2 (UK) Barron's ISBN 0-7641-1189-2 (USA & Canada) Web Site: www.sheila.btinternet.co.uk/ferrets.htm last update 7 May 2000 Waiting at Rainbow Bridge: Jill, Deanna Troy, Cameron, Carnath, Button, Bill, Bobby, Jasper, Inga, Holly, Fergle, Amanda, Sparky & Daniel [Posted in FML issue 3085]