Yesterday morning Nancy and I rushed her Mugsy to the vets office. He had a high temp (my hands estimated 104-105, verified at 104 by the vets thermometer later in the morning), was lethargic and labored breathing. I called the vet before we left alerting him that we would be coming and his recommendations to bring the temp down. I had already dosed Mugsy with Amoxi and applied a cool wash cloth. I did succeed and lowering his temp but it was still high. When we arrived at the vets office it was 8:00. The vet hadn't arrived yet so we spoke to the vet tech. Larry had called in and told them we were on our way - he would not be in till 11:00 so Travis would look at Mugsy. Around 8:15 the clinic received a call from a dog owner. When she hung up the phone, the receptionist/office manager started to walk towards the back then looked at me and said "do you want to just leave him because we have 2 surgeries this morning and a dog that needs to be seen NOW". I was somewhat in shock at her attitude that Mugsy wasn't an emergency (yeah right, I always take 3 hours off work and take a leisurely unscheduled trip to the vets office just for fun). I told her his temp was rising again and I would stay and talk to the vet when he came in. Needless to say she was not happy at my decision. Now this woman either dislikes ferrets or is afraid of them because time after time I have received rude treatment from her. I always try to be polite, I have never given her or anyone in that office any call to be rude to me. So what should I do? Larry and Travis (vets) have always been very receptive to my calls. For each emergency I take to them I've probably handled 10 on my own. I've always paid my bills at time of services and sometimes in advance. But this type of treatment from this woman could cause an already sick ferret to become critical. Thank goodness we stayed as Travis administered something (can't remember what but will ask later) to take Mugsy's temp down then he went on with his surgeries and the dog emergency. All the while Mugsy was monitored. So how do I politely and tactfully handle this situation? Do I try talking to this woman (she avoids me when I come in, always leaving the room), or go directly to Larry? All advice and suggestions are welcome. Mugsy is doing better but still not feeling well. The fecal smear and CBC were normal. He has mucousy stools, a clear runny nose, and a slight temp. He's lethargic but drinking his Restore well. I've had a sinus infection. Could I have passed it to Mugsy? Several of the others are not feeling well and I'm monitoring the entire group closely. Everyone is eating and drinking well but there is some diarrhea in the group. I am ferret sitting 5 ECE ferrets but this is nothing like we experienced with our bout of ECE. Any ideas? Dogs and Ferrets - I'm concerned over the recent posts of how to handle dogs going after ferrets. I'm also a little confused. When we walk the fuzzies they are on a halter and leash. At the least sign of trouble they are quickly pulled up into our arms. If any harm were to come to them I would blame myself because it is my responsibility as their caretaker to keep them safe. I can't blame a dog for doing what is perfectly natural, but I can blame the owner for not properly fencing or training the dog. I have 3 dogs. One does not like people but would lay down his life to protect his ferrets. Sunny takes his job seriously. He weighs 50 pounds and has huge teeth (I know, he's accidently bitten me twice when I intervened between him and the intended victim). Shylow was my white german shepherd who also loved his ferrets. Pretty amazing for a dog that was introduced to them when he was 6 years old and a dog that hated cats (my fault as we never had a cat in his lifetime and the only cats he knew were the ones that walked across the top of our wooden fence to tease him). Just as some cats and ferrets see birds and rodents as prey, some dogs will see ferrets as prey. Instead of trying to harm other animals, let's try to figure out a way to avoid those potentially dangerous encounters and a nonharmful way to combat them should they arise. Before I became involved with ferrets, I worked with a dog rescue group. I've been bitten several times, some severely, but do not hold a grudge against any type of dog. In each case they were only doing what comes natural to them. Hugs to all. tle [Posted in FML issue 1744]