A new direction--1996 During the first week of January, we again visited one of the local pet stores and I found a really neat little magazine. It had two very adorable ferrets on the cover. Naturally, I had to have it. This magazine opened up a whole new world for me. I had no idea that the ferret community was so vast. Through "Critters", I learned that there were numerous ferret clubs, shelters, and events throughout the U.S. I decided that I would like to attend one of the events and possibly enter one of my babies. I began to send out requests for information regarding the various organizations. As we entered the second week of January, I began to notice that Gismo began to appear as if he were "dizzy". He would "stumble" as he walked. I thought that he might possibly have an inner ear infection, so off we went to the vet. He was examined and his ears were ok. The resident neurologist came in, observed him, examined him and gave his assessment. He stated that it appeared to be neither neurological nor orthopedic. The two doctors concurred that they would send a message out over the internet and if any other vet had encountered the same problem--they would reply. A few days later, the doctor called me at work and advised that a vet from California had responded and advised him to check for hypoglycemia. We brought Gis in for a blood test and discovered that his blood sugar level was extremely low. He explained to me that Gismo had insulinoma and that I had three choice: surgery and medication (the best one), medication alone, or do nothing. The third option was not even considered. Once I learned what this disease was all about, I understood that surgery and medication was Gismo's best chance of survival. I was terrified of the thoughts of surgery especially following so closely behind Buddy's surgery. Gismo was placed on prednisone and he responded well for a few days, then he began to stumble once again. I knew that I didn't have a choice any longer. He went in for his surgery and when I picked him up at the end of the day, his tummy was bruised from the blood underneath the skin. My vet said tht he had eaten, and that I could try and feed him more before bedtime. I was given a feeding syringe and some of the food that he had been given at the vet's office. Gismo was not a good patient. I would take him out of his nest for feeding and he would cry but he loved to eat from the syringe. He was medicated with prednisone and I began to see daily improvements. I began receiving information back from some of the organizations. Through reading the material, I began to realize that I really knew nothing about these marvelous animals even though I had been owned by one or several since 1985. I went on an information search, joining organizations, reading, and learning all I could. I began to contact persons who were knowledgeable about these animals. Throughout this time period, Princess had to return to the doctor a couple of more times to have the tumor refrozen. My vet was really pleased with her condition when she went for her last visit. He stated that he felt that her life expectancy after the first surgery would only be a couple of months. She has far exceeded that time period. She feels well, eats well, and plays a lot. She is healthy in every way except for the recurring tumor. In June, I attended a ferret fun fest in Northern Virginia. I had planned on bringing an eight to ten week old kit back with me. I had never attended anything like this before and I had an absolute blast! I had never seen so many ferrets in one place at one time before. Everyone was friendly and helpful and a real joy to associate with. I learned so much. I ended up buying a six month old kit from a professional breeder. He was gorgeous and gave ferret kisses right from the start. I also adopted a year old male from one of the shelters. One lady who was especially helpful made a lasting impression. I had had the opportunity to speak with her earlier over the phone and was elated to meet her in person. For those of you who know Ms. Fran Wiles, you know of whom I'm speaking. A week after bringing the Virginia boys home, we were again at a pet shop. My husband approached me, had a very disturbed look on his face and stated that there was a really nice ferret up front but the whole cage was infested with flies. I went over to check it out and discovered two kits about twelve weeks of age in an aquarium looking display case, which had a layer of wood chips on the floor and hundreds of flies. Rusty and Fancy are now a part of my family. Tomorrow-the conclusion. Margaret. Rusty, Fancy, Princess, Gismo, Harley, Scooter, Coco and Merlin (and again, Scott "Are the babies using my new sweater for a nest again?" [Posted in FML issue 1706]