On 8/3/04 our story unfolds w/17 unneutered, unvaccinated, unsocialized, ferrets transferred to FERRET BUSINESS of GA from Morehouse School of Medicine - Center for Laboratory Animal Resources, due to their loss of funding. Sadly, & despite all our best efforts, Boy Named Sue, Mario, Hector, & Lawrence succumbed to "shelter shock" (compounded by adrenal disease & insulinoma), Florence didn't recover from spay surgery, & Mary Ann had a tumor displacing several major organs. Thanks to everyone's generosity, all of the Morehouse class were spayed/neutered, vaccinated, provided needed veterinary care & medication, & had much needed dental cleanings. They were spoiled w/all of the treats, bedding, & TOYS too. Local FERRET BUSINESS of GA volunteers additionally provided help w/the day-to-day care, transportation, force feedings, nursing, & socialization at a time when they were just about completely unhandleable. There's no way I would have been able to adequately care for them w/out everyone's support, even if they hadn't needed the individual nursing. I couldn't be more thankful for the kindness everyone has shown. I'm happy to tell you that most of the heartache & frustration we've had to deal with is a thing of the past. They have recovered from shelter shock, thanks to the rigorous nursing care from our volunteers. They've learned how to drink out of water bottles & are happily munching away on a variety mix of premium foods. They've also become treats hounds - Friskies Dental Diet is their favorite. They have all been neutered. We chose not to have them descented, but it's only on a rare occasion that there's any hint of that. Of the surviving 11, 5 of the boys & 3 of the girls have been diagnosed with mild insulinoma & are stable & active. They have no problem taking their meds. Twice daily they eagerly dive into their chicken gravy/Science Diet A/D/Iams Maximum Calorie mixture containing 1 mg prednisone. Only our little princess Ivey is adrenal. They've come a long way from being terrified & savagely biting, from the point that they couldn't be handled w/out protective gloves, & now love being held & played with. Their individual personalities have blossomed & they are acting like the average pet ferret we all love, despite being completely devoid of sensory stimulation their entire lives. The most wonderful outcome to the Morehouse story is that Yvonne, & Margaret & Denny have been adopted. As wonderful as the rest of them are, I don't hold too much hope that any of the remaining 8 will ever be adopted because of their medical concerns. It's a shame too, because they've overcome so much & are the poster children of ferrets. Had they been human, they probably would have needed years of therapy or been institutionalized after their ordeal. But instead they're loving life despite all that life has denied them. RIP Boy Named Sue, Mario, Hector, Lawrence, Florence, & Mary Ann Gratefully, Juliana Quadrozzi FERRET BUSINESS of GA www.ferretbusiness.petfinder.com 770-984-1417 7pm-10:30pm P.S. Sukie, I'll address your post tomorrow. [Posted in FML issue 4720]