Last week I made a posting about an albino kit that I got from someone who had treated it most horrendously. I was contacted by some people from the US asking me to post further details of the circumstances of exactly how we came across the sick little kit, so here they are. My name is Cliff Bull and with my wife Diane I run the C & D Ferret Sanctuary. Last year I received a phone call from a Ms Sheila Crompton who runs the Bolton Ferret Welfare. Ms Crompton is also a senior member of the National Ferret Welfare Society here in the UK. Ms Crompton asked me if I would take an injured kit from her because she was going away on the PR trail for a few weeks. I made arrangements to go and collect the kit along with Diane. When we arrived we were shocked at the condition of this very sick albino kit that Ms Crompton claimed she had had handed in that morning. The poor thing's jaw was just a mess, very badly broken (photo attached). [Photo not attached on the FML] Ms Crompton explained that she had been trying to feed the kit watered down ferret food but said he just wouldn't take it. Ms Crompton went on to explain that she thought its jaw was dislocated and tried to show us how to pop it back into place. Not wanting the kit touched there and then I insisted that a qualified veterinarian should be the judge of the kit's treatment. Ms Crompton went on to explain that you just push your thumb deep inside the ferret's mouth and push down firmly. I checked the kit as Ms Crompton had sexed the kit as being a jill. It was very clear it was a male with testicles. We set off towards home with the boy and phoned the vet on route who was waiting for our arrival. Our vet wanted to x-ray but was unable to do so because the poor mite would probably not take the anaesthetic. Unfortunately he could not be given any pain relief because he was so young. We took the kit home on the vet's advice, and made him some watered down warm ferret complete. Funny, because the kit that hadn't eaten was on a mission to drink the food. After the weekend he returned to the vet and had his x-ray confirming his badly broken jaw, but the vet again would not risk an anaesthetic due to the kit's weak state. A few days later and Luky, as he was then named, was able to take the strain of the operation and his jaw was fixed back into its rightful place. Luky was still generally weak for a considerable length of time but his jaw fully healed and he was eventually rehomed to two of our friends. He's now living a life of luxury as a very spoilt house ferret. Luky had no problem trying out his new jaw on his new friends and is a cheeky boy. Some weeks later Ms Crompton posted on an internet message board that she actually had the kit with her in that condition for several days. Here are Ms Crompton's own words, "I got a very malnourished ferret in I checked the ferret out and no male sexual organs were visible. He was here for just over a week before it became obvious it was a hob." Ms Crompton revealed in this posting that she was quite aware that the ferret was injured - "if my failing to ascertain what sex an injured hob was". Having read this at the time I immediately contacted Ms Crompton and asked her about this and was horrified to be told that she never took Luky to see a vet in the time he was with her knowing him to have a broken jaw and then watching him slowly deteriorate because he couldn't eat. And then sshe dumped him (thank god) on somebody else just so that she could raise a few pounds. The second half of my post about this person is also one of a serious nature, Ms crompton made this very disturbing post on FML that had no basis in truth at all, and arose as a result of a me and a few others simply asking for the data from the trials that Ms Crompton claimed had taken place regarding this treatment. Ms Crompton refused to forward any information at all and responded with this post on FML. "Ferret health care is at risk. Every time you take your ferret to a vet the chances are that it will have to be treated with drugs not licensed for ferrets. Your vet will decide what is the most appropriate treatment in the light of his/her experience of the range of drugs open to use. Up to now vets have been happy to share those decisions with owners, ferrets clubs and various websites and publications. After years of trying to work with vets to build up a rapport with vets over treatment of ferrets for various illnesses it all could be threatened because three people - Eric and Ruth Corbett, and Cliff Bull - have taken in on themselves to judge that treatments are wrong and have contacted vets to threaten action against them. None are vets, none have responded to any requests from any individual or welfare organisation for evidence of their concern, yet they feel THEY are the appropriate people to contact YOUR vets about YOUR ferrets. This has all arisen over the use of fiprinol, the active ingredient of Frontline (which for many of us is the trusted method of dealing with fleas and ticks) for ear mites. Some vets use it as drops in the ear canals. This is also mentioned in the BSAVA Manual of Exotic Pets and on various websites. Fiprinol is not licensed for this use but vets have the professional right to resort to off-label drugs where they feel it is most appropriate to do so. If there is evidence that this should not be practised no-one has any concern about publishing information which corrects currently available information, but the Corbetts and Mr Bull have never been willing to divulge their supposed sources of concern. The bottom line is how do you feel that if your vet feels he/she might receive threatening letter when they have tried to help your ferret from someone you don't know, they don't know, nor who knows anything about your ferret? And this from people who claim to be concerned for ferret welfare?" We all have a right to defend ourselves and I am doing just that. Cliff [Posted in FML issue 4716]