In an effort to help raise money to pay for surgeries such as Buddy’s, and all the other wee ones at the shelter who are still waiting, we’re having a yard sale.  If you have items you would like to donate contact us and we’ll schedule a pick up time, otherwise come see us on April 17th and 18th at 205 B. Harmony Lon. Sun Valley, NV 89433 for more information please call email us redferret4@yahoo.com  
 
Also, the NNFN is joining with the BLFS to hold our annual raffle.  Great human and ferret stuff, for more info, call us, although it should be up on the website soon, please contact us if you have stuff to donate.
The Biggest Little Ferret Shelter & Northern Nevada Ferret Network Monthly Newsletter

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.

To contact us email redferret4@yahoo.com Join our Yahoo group at nnfn@yahoogroups.com or visit www.nnfn.net.
April 2004 Issue
Compassion and Helping Others: Reprinted with permission from Kim Shilling
 
As someone who's been in rescue for over 20 years, I've heard just about every excuse possible for an animal landing on my doorstep. My internal responses range from, "Oh, God, I would do the same in your position..." to "What a ^%#** moron...." to "This #$&%@ should be strung up and stoned." I say "internal" responses, because there was a time in my life when I actually verbalized every thought that popped up in my head. It was no secret that I disliked most people who crossed my cynical path. I still don't like most people but most people don't know that. Anyway, I can't keep myself from *thinking* certain thoughts, but my urge to say them out loud has lessened, mostly because I've grown up - only slightly - but more so because I learned the hard way that things are not always as they appear, and I really don't have all of the answers even when I pretend I do. One day I got a call from a woman who needed to place 3 ferrets. As my eyes rolled to the back of my head, I listened impatiently as she told me she was moving and couldn't take them with. I asked, "WHY?" She then told me she had no money and couldn't take care of them. So I asked, "Why did you get them in the first place then?" By then I was no longer listening to her replies. I might have even been filing my nails and catching glimpses of news clips.
 
After begrudgingly agreeing to taking on 3 more ferrets, I hurried the woman off the phone, making sure she deeply felt my displeasure and realized the evils of her ways. I met her, very pregnant and with 2 small children in tow, at my door the next day. I was cordial, but short as I poked my head into the box. Staring up at me were 3 of the most pathetic creatures I'd ever run across. They were bone thin, flea ridden and sparsely furred. One had a huge abscess on her gum. I probably didn't have to say what was on my mind, because my face said it all. Still, out spilled the words of shame and disbelief. She then handed me a box of Meow Mix which she'd picked up from the store on her way to give up her supposedly beloved ferrets. It was the least she could do since I was taking in her ferrets, she said. I stopped talking after that. I was at a loss for words. She thanked me profusely for helping her, and she hurried herself and her children to an awaiting cab.
 
It was the same old story. Personal details vary, but excuses are pretty consistent: Moving, no time, no money, new baby. Blah blah blah. Almost all of you have encountered similar situations. Almost all of you had the same thoughts, the same reactions, the same disgust. Rescuers get numb after a while. The abusers stick out for a while, but eventually get shoved into the generic faceless heap with the rest of the people. Almost all of us rationalize this "mass neutering" of our fellow human beings as we tend selflessly to their poor individual and unique critters left in our care. It's our purpose in life.
 
A month or so after this rescue, and several rescues later, I received a phone call from a good friend of mine. We chatted about this and that, and before hanging up she asked about a lady who recently gave up some ferrets. Apparently my friend had referred this person to me. After getting more details, since they all blend together, I came to realize she was talking about that horrible woman who dropped off the 3 terribly neglected ferrets. I was quick to tell my friend all the awful things about these poor ferrets who were now on their way back to good health. After I stopped talking and came up for air, my friend told me a little more about this mom who came to me for help a month back. Her name was Lynette. She was married, had two children and another on the way. Her husband began drinking profusely after being laid off 2 years prior. He became increasingly abusive emotionally to both her and their children.
 
Not unusual, the abuse escalated to physical and the woman was a frequent target of her husband's rage. He was angry at the thought of having yet another mouth to feed as well. The children were spared physical abuse, but witnessed the rage and abuse towards their mother. As is often the case, threats were made that kept her from seeking help until one evening a vicious kick to the stomach almost cost her the life of her unborn child. In the dead of night, and with her husband passed out, she bundled up her children and slipped out with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They left behind several cherished pets, including their 3 greatly adored ferrets. Women's shelters wouldn't allow pets. Two months after fleeing from her abusive husband, Lynette was in a position to safely return to retrieve her pets and the rest of her belongings.
 
Within 24 hours, she arrived at my door with her ferrets, kept alive only by her husband's minimal care.
 ***************
 I don't think I really need to expound on how I felt when my friend was finished telling me about Lynette. She thanked me for helping this woman. Lynette had called my friend to thank her for finding me. She told her to tell me that I was an angel - a gift from God - and that she would never forget....
****************
That incident changed my life and reminded me that rescuing is not always limited to the animals we take in. Although I'm still guilty of pre-judging and being cynical, I do my best to believe there's more to a story than what I see or even what I'm told. A rescue as extreme as Lynette's is not the only kind that warrants our compassion as rescuers. I have to believe that MOST people do the very best they can. Not all owner give-ups come from uncaring, irresponsible, selfish idiots. Although we still may think it in our heads.
 ***************
The job of a rescuer is multi-faceted. It doesn't begin with and end with taking the animal in and re-homing it. It's truly a double edged sword. While we don't want to make it too convenient for people to "dump" pets, and we need to educate pet owners, we also don't want to create such a hostile environment that people don't feel *safe* enough to bring in animals that REALLY need rescuing. I have to wonder about some of the animals that are turned loose, left on doorsteps in boxes, left in drop boxes (don't have those in Illinois - still, the concept blows my mind!), or even killed. Were the owners too embarrassed? Shamed? Turned away? Some people are just horrible. That's a fact. But that shouldn't cloud our reality about other people. I also know that there are people on this list who have just read all this and are right now listing in their heads all of the things Lynette should've or could've done according to "their" own standards. Stop it. People have their limits. Shaming them for not having limits as high as yours?......
 
I don't think most of you have the tolerance/limits that I have, nor should you be expected to. That doesn't mean I think less of you.
~ Kim Schilling (Author Ferrets for Dummies)
 
I would just like to add to this. As a shelter I have dealt with all kinds of people, and all kinds of stories. I found myself calling up one of the board members every so often telling them about the phone call/visit, etc. I've always been able to keep it together and managed to bite my tongue if I ever wanted to say something mean, as I don't know that person's story and I should be careful not to add salt to their injury, but there came a day when I finally lost it. It was on a Wednesday night, at one am. I received a phone call from someone that had asked me about vets during one of the educational booth/adoption days at Petsmart. I remembered him, but it was still one am. He decided to tell me that he was going to put his ferret down because it had one adrenal surgery and no way could it be adrenal again (yes they can), and then told me he argued with my vet about it and told my vet I was responsible for his phone call. I lost it right then and there, because my vet does a great deal for the shelter, and the thought of someone making me look bad in his eyes made me lose my patience, it didn't help that it was one o'clock in the morning. I cussed him out, and I told him if he truly loved his ferret he would take it to the vet (he made it clear money was no issue). Then I hung up on him, but not before I told him to !^@& off. I have not heard from his since.

Medical Corner: How to get those meds down…

 

Think it’s easy?  Think again.  There are meds out there that your fuzzy just wants nothing to do with, not even if you mix it with something.  To start, find out from your vet who prescribed the medicine if it is alright to mix with something, such as ferretone. Try to make medicine giving as a way to better bond with your fuzzy child.  Talk to them and explain that you have to do it for their health, that doesn’t mean you want to.   There are some meds out there that your fuzzy will just eat on their own, but chances are unlikely.  Scruffing your ferret as shown in the photo is a good way to start, but be careful not to squirt the liquid too far back as it may cause them to choke, or you risk getting fluid in the lungs.  It’s easier to squirt in on the side of the mouth. I normally will give them some ferretone, and while they are still licking up the ferretone, I quickly give them the meds, and offer more ferretone before they realize how I tricked them. 
Understanding cc’s
CC stands for Cubic Centimeter, which is the same as a ml or milliliter. The syringe in the picture is one cc if full, most meds are given anywhere from .1cc’s to .25cc’s.  Sometimes half a cc, which would be .5cc’s.  That isn’t very much, but your ferret is tiny compared to us, and it is enough for them.  Your veterinarian will tell you how much of a dosage your fuzzy needs, and remember, with antibiotics, finish all of the medicine even if your ferret is feeling better.
There are several reasons why your ferret may be on meds, recent adrenal surgery will need them to be on amoxy and pedia pred, and then there are those insulinomic babies who will be on pred.  Recently I learned that you give a diuretic for heart conditions.  Then there’s meds for their tummy if not feeling well.  And sometimes ferrets stop eating, so you have to force feed them soup or another soft food type.   I recommend introducing your fuzzy to some type of chicken soup to get your fuzzies used to the taste before the time comes when they must have any type of surgery, this way they already love the taste of soup and are more likely to eat.
Buddy’s Story
 
Hello, my name is Buddy. I'm 5 years old. My color is Pink. Well, for now I'm Pink. If I grow my fur again, I'll be a light sable boy with a Pink nose. When I lived with my other mom, she didn't know I needed to go to the veterinarian when I became aggressive towards my friends and lost my fur. She gave me to other people. When shelter mom October saw me, and heard me coughing, she took me to see Dr. Cameron Ross. He told shelter mom I was a mess. I had this huge thing growing inside me, and my heart was too big. Dr. said I might not be a good candidate for surgery, but shelter mom wanted to try and help me. I think she likes the color Pink. My surgery took a long time, and was late at night. The big thing was taken out of my tummy. I was told that was good, but it sure didn't feel good when I woke up. I came here to live with my foster mom two days after surgery. My tummy still hurt, I was scared, and I had to take yucky medicine. I didn't want to eat. Just sleep. Mom weighed me every day. I was loosing weight, down to 1.02. Foster mom started feeding me a warm soup in a syringe. I ate as much as my sore tummy could hold, but it wasn't enough. So mom fed me a tiny bit every hour. One night she slept in a big chair and held me. I had to eat a little every two hours. The next morning I felt a little stronger and ate all by myself. Mom was very excited about that. She excites easily. Anyway, I feel good now, I weigh 2.09 today, and play with my two new friends in fur. I'm still Pink, but mom says she sees little black specks that look like fur coming in. I hope so, cause mom has cold hands and picks me up with a blankie. That makes me look like a sissy ferret, and I'm anything but a sissy. I'm a big, strong Pink ferret, who's very glad shelter mom and Dr. Cameron decided to give me a chance to show them how brave a tiny Pink boy can be. I still take medicine for my heart, but mom puts it in some yummy stuff so I like that. I have a friend to sleep with, and get to go exploring every day. My two new friends in fur are very gentle with me, I guess they think a Pink boy needs special care. Foster mom says I can stay here for as long as I want. She likes Pink too.
 
Your friend, Buddy

2nd Annual Ferret Frolic

 

The second annual ferret frolic will be held on October 9th of this year at the Northtowne Petco, vaccination and ADV tests required, please contact us for more info or check our site!  www.nnfn.net  There will be a $5 admission fee. 

And if your annual NNFN dues are due, please send to P.O. Box 71481 Reno, NV 89570-1481.  You can also send them via pay pal president@nnfn.net and please note these are for annual dues.  The price has not changed from last year, $15 single, $20 family for one year.   We’ve also added lifetime, if you’re interested in lifetime memberships please contact us.

If we have your address on file, then your NNFN renewal package is in the mail.  You can find a renewal form on the website or contact us.

Did you know?

Adrenal surgeries are seen in over 70% of ferrets.  There are many symptoms but the most common are hair loss and aggressiveness.  The cause of adrenal is still a question, however, studies are being done on the idea of early spay/neuter, and inbreeding.  Adrenal gland tumors are not seen in Europe.
To contact the shelter please email redferret4@yahoo.com  if you have questions on ferret care, want to adopt, help, volunteer, or whatever, just email.  I try to be as available as I can be, but sometimes I get busy, please be understanding.  Visit our site at www.nnfn.net

Crossed to the Rainbow Bridge:  Sally was an old ferret, she went in for surgery, made it through - but passed the next morning.  Loved by mommy Karen.

 

Hobbs – loved by mommy Linda

And Samson-ite, who is dearly missed by mommy Linda. (pic on left)

 

~ I may be gone from earth, but I will always remain in my mommy's heart and we will see each other again.  I have a journey that my mommy sent me on to tell all of my other brothers and sisters, that mommy loves them so much and thinks about them everyday.  I know she is lonely and has lots of tears for me and the others, but she shouldn't.  She loved us all she could and gave us a good home.     
11th Annual Ferret Round up In Pasadena CA, yes, we were there! 
 
All it took was a rented car, hours of driving with no sleep, a loud stereo, a hotel room, and us.  We left Reno at 6:45 pm Friday night and arrived in Pasadena at 3 am.  Checked in our room, slept four hours, and headed off to the humane society to set up for the event. We were greeted by Bob Church, who has a pleasant sense of humor, and learned that we will get to cross paths again in Sacramento. He learned there is a shelter in Reno and announced that he will be in the Reno area for personal business but would like to see the shelter; I am very excited about that.  Later we were greeted by Pat Wright, who bought two sets of my sleep sacks and hammocks, we chatted shortly, I didn’t expect him to remember who I was, I met him in San Diego over 6 years ago.

Then everything sort of blended together, I was very tired, Char brought the tape recorder so we were able to record the speeches, which was good, I was too tired to be able to retain any information. 

At 5:30 we were packed up and ready to take off.  Said our goodbyes to all those faces we finally got to see, but had known all along through email lists.  We stopped for dinner, we needed a real meal to get us by, and we left Pasadena at 6:45 pm.  Got back to Reno at 2:30 am and I don’t know about Char but I went straight to sleep, well, I did stop and say hi to all the fuzzies that were awake.

The trip was worth it, the exposure the NNFN and the BLFS received from this was wonderful, and we did sell over 20 sets of sleep sacks and hammocks, along with all the key chains we brought, and the silent auction brought in a little money too.  For the most part, our sales almost paid for the trip, but not quite, considering gas in CA is up to $2.29 a gallon.  On the drive down and back up, we saw all these nice cars pulled off on the side of the road, just sitting there, there was one every ten miles it seemed, we came to the conclusion that people just got frustrated with the gas prices and left their cars so that they can walk instead, either that or they passed out from those awful smells we experienced on the way.
News!

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