The Biggest Little Ferret Shelter & Northern Nevada Ferret Network Monthly Newsletter
June/July 2005 Issue

Members of the Biggest Little Ferret Shelter and the Northern Nevada Ferret Network write this newsletter.

The NNFN, Northern Nevada Ferret Network is a group of ferret enthusiasts who get together and talk ferret talk, how to raise money, how to spend money, ideas, how to get the needed education about ferrets out there, etc. 

The BLFS, Biggest Little Ferret Shelter is a no-kill ferret shelter where no ferret is denied the right to be a ferret.  www.renoferrets.org

New volunteers always welcome! The NNFN is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Join our Yahoo group at nnfn@yahoogroups.com or visit www.nnfn.net.

Well, it's done, the shelter is sort of closed.  We're still around, to educate, answer questions, advice, recommend a vet, run the annual frolic, etc.  We even still have some ferrets for adoption.  We are now acting as a placement, re-homing referral, please let me know if you would be able to adopt these ferrets as I'm compiling a list of names. We are also looking for foster homes to temporarily take in ferrets, during the transition of going to their new home. 

 

This has been one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do. I’ve put two and a half years of my life into this.  Never ending research, questions, vet visits, home visits, scrawny little ferrets coming in day before dead, each day, I never knew what to expect. I had truly hoped that someone would take over the shelter before I burned out.  Maybe someone still will.

 

The vet bill is once again outrageous.  In order to adopt out the ferrets here, I had to get their adrenal surgeries done, no more waiting list, there were three that needed to go in and soon.  So, they’re recovering and are either in their foster or permanent homes.

 

So now what?

 

Well, for me at least, my efforts are changing direction.  I am going to continue the educational booths at our local pet stores, and I will do my best to let people know that there are plenty of ferrets at Reno animal Services and the Humane society, and to refrain from buying in pet stores as to not support the huge ferret mills. Maybe I’ll get lucky, and one person will listen, and that will be one less ferret in need of a new home.

  

I’m also going to really push proper ferret care.  There seems to be so many different opinions on what is right and wrong.  Sadly, I’m still finding books at the pet stores that still have mis-information, such as feed your ferret fruits and veggies, or bathe them weekly.  I might have time to finally sit down and read every ferret book there is and do a paragraph review on each of them, that is something our network once talked about.

 

As far as this newsletter goes, I feel there will still be a need for a newsletter, especially for the CA confiscates, and the emergencies, and the education, new research, etc.  So don’t worry, you’re not rid of me yet :)

On Monday May 2nd Dr. Katie Weldon noticed Buddy had a enlarged bladder during a follow-up exam. She suggested Dr. Cameron Ross do an ultrasound.
 
Dr. Ross confirmed the suspicion, a prostatic cyst blocking urine flow. This was especially serious as Buddy takes Lasix for his heart, which makes him drink and piddle a lot. He has only one kidney, and the back-up of urine causes damage to it. Not to mention the risk of a ruptured bladder.
 
The options were surgery, very risky due to his heart condition and insulinoma, or try a Lupron injection to see if it would shrink the growth.  Lupron takes  24 to 48 hours to work, *if* it will.
 
No Lupron in town, Dr. Katie called every clinic, I called all the pharmacies. When it did arrive Tuesday morning, the compounding machine at the pharmacy was down for repair.
 
Dr. Ross showed me how to express the bladder, and assured me he was just a phone call away if Buddy should need his help.
 
I put Buddy in a separate cage for sleeping and used paper towels instead of litter so I could monitor the amount he was able to piddle on his own. I also gently tried to express his bladder twice a day.
 
Finally on Thursday afternoon Buddy got the lupron injection. About 36 hours later, it appeared to be taking affect. During Friday night, Buddy had soaked several paper towels, and Saturday morning his bladder was smaller.
 
We are all hopeful this will continue to work for this little Miracle Ferret.
 
Buddy would like to thank his wonderful doctors, October his shelter mom, his shelter aunties, Amber, Char, Holly, Molly, and uncle Robert for all their help, love and support during this scary time.
 
Mommy Ardith
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