If it makes you feel better we recently gave another check to the shelter which is local to us. Part of what is happening is that there are now so MANY shelters that many people concentrate on their local ones, some with money or supplies, some with labor, some with both. We typically provide funds to help with the vet care around here. Also, many of us on the FML give directly to established locations which improve the veterinary care of ferrets. Simple fact is: there's just so much money to go around (same as time). Don't destroy the two sick ones. ADOPT THEM OUT. NEITHER insulinoma nor most forms of adrenal growths are necessarily terminal IF they are treated appropriately. Yes, they might be terminal, but they very, very, very often are NOT so, and even when they are eventually it's not unusual with care for the critters to get a year to YEARS more of good, happy life; that's like a decade to decades for us! I do NOT understand why you are annoyed at the ferret community which has tried to help ferrets and ferret-people over and over again. Because there are limits to our time and funds? You yourself have limits as you point out. Because they can't help every ferret? You write of yourself: "I am overwhelmed by my personal responsibilities, and do not feel that my efforts have done anything long-term to further the quality of life for ferrets in general." Is there any reason why the people here should be expected to be any more than simply human, just as you are simply human? Why pass the buck? There are a number of people here who devote the equivalent of a full time job to helping ferrets; others who do things every single day of the year; others who put money into helping ferrets instead of taking vacations. Many can't do that given their other responsibilities so they do what they can: they clean some shelter cages every few weeks, they supply some raisin boxes here and there, they put up webpages which help with the legal efforts or common difficulties, they sew bedding and surprise shelters with it ... the list could go on and on. Why do you think that it's just fine for you to have limitations but the rest of the world should not? We ALL need to know that we can't understand what it's like to be anyone else, that doing what bit we ourselves can to improve the world (and pushing ourselves to do it) is not only the way to help ferrets and ferret people but also the way TO ACQUIRE SELF-RESPECT, and to understand that such pieces add up to a grand whole. It's not possible to expect that everyone ELSE will do something; if everyone did that then nothing would get done. Every bit counts but if you and each of the rest of us don't do these bits then they won't be done, and none of us will have self respect. On the other hand, if each of us does just something here and there as we can then we'll have the self-satisfaction of doing things which have made this world a better place and that's one of the most gratifying sensations in the world; in fact, it's the pretty well opposite of the stagnation. Try doing a small thing for another, then in a few days try one small thing more, then another, then... Sukie P.S. I am sending this to the list (minus the "only for you" part) because I don't want new folks to think that health problems which can be treated are terminal and therefore warrant a death sentence, and because the many, many people here who do so much DESERVE this recognition and thanks for all they do so often and so well. You folks are REALLY APPRECIATED!!!!!!!! [Posted in FML issue 2770]