Terri wrote: >I guess I just need some clarifications on this. So many things wrong? >Flea infested, dehydration, respiratory problems? I guess I'm just >wondering why these ferrets were transported that far with these >problems before being assessed & stabilized first. You wondered about the ferrets who went to the shelter with medical problems. Part of it is that the at location shelters were still setting up at that time. Part of it is that they are mostly going to look for major problems and trust the later shelters to be able to handle the same sorts of things that are encountered regularly in the every day life of a shelter. Part of it was that at first vets for exotics were not known about and in place at first. Now, even when they aren't enough are known about to at least be called for advice. You see, they are not yet a tested for specialization (unlike birds) so there is not a master database the major rescue groups could call upon. (Yes, that is another thing some vets want to change in the future and are working on.) Let's face it ferret people like those of us here know to NOT think "just a cold" with a ferret who has a respiratory infection, but your typical vet who has not studied exotics does not know that. The IFC took care of that problem by work that was almost around the clock (very little sleep) over several days to put together the needed vet lists going from a range of sources for the most critical states, and there is currently a WONDERFUL team of volunteers going through all of the resources and working to put together such master lists for other states. It's a chore -- no two vet lists use the same format, or have the same content, or in some cases even have some of the data. The hope is to have a list that is accurate enough and inclusive enough that if emergencies happen in any state it can be used. Not all the phone numbers will work, and that is not surprise, but as long as enough do the mission is accomplished. I hope to not lose my computer access but I am having some trouble with my computer that I always use. Steve is doing maintenance on and off till we find what is wrong, I am doing clean-up on it, and I am doing clean-up and prepping the cube computer in the ferret room that has gone unused for more than a year (because until my feet and ankles recovered enough I could not get over the barrier) to then receive my updated info -- which is why I had to have a portable in the first place. (BTW, asthma season can keep me off-line some days or parts of days, too.) So, expect me to pop in and out. Meanwhile, it is always good for shelters -- even when they are not getting in disaster rescues -- to understand their cleaning and isolation procedures (a reasonable topic for conversation with constructive advice, esp. by experts) and to always have vet visits as the first thing to do. -- Sukie (not a vet) Ferret Health List http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth FHL Archives http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org International Ferret Congress http://www.ferretcongress.org [Posted in FML issue 4996]