A New Companion?

  

Perhaps the humans understand my needs, after all...

  

~Roo of Mustelid Manor~

A Dr. Ruth Share

The following were written by Big Guy's breeder and original mom, Ruth Heller.  As she is one of a handful of veterinarians in the ferret know--I felt that they were must shares for my ferret families out there...

 

"This shelter is dealing with an outbreak of canine distemper, which is a horrific disease in ferrets, requiring aggressive and expensive treatment if the animals are to have even a small chance to survive. Ferrets that are not already ill must be vaccinated (using an off-label vaccine as the one licensed for use in ferrets is not available currently) and treated with immune supportive medications. Those that are ill are unlikely to survive, and in many cases must be euthanized to end their suffering--and that costs money too.  The volunteers are working their hearts out, and those hearts are breaking with every minute." ~August 30, 2013~

To learn more about the Greater Chicago Ferret Association (the only no-kill ferret shelter in the Chicago area),  what they are currently experiencing, and how you can help--please follow the link above.

"Prevention of canine distemper requires proper vaccination, bottom line. Ferrets need to be vaccinated, because in the case of exposure and infection, almost all of them are going to die. The only labeled vaccine, Merial's Purevax, is unavailable at this time - I have stated more than once, in several public forums, that I am using Nobivac DPv off-label to protect ferrets against distemper. Those who choose to use Neovac - I do understand that there is some proof that it works, the company, however, declined to share that proof with me when I asked them for it and I do not at this time recommend it.

Kits and unvaccinated adults, as well as ferrets with an unknown vaccine history if a titer is not to be run, should be vaccinated with a series of at least two shots with the last shot at or over 15-16 weeks of age. Following that, you can either re-vaccinate yearly or (my preference) run titers with booster shots given only if the titer number is low. It does not matter which vaccine you used before, you can booster with another one.

As far as preventing exposure - you cannot 100% prevent exposure. The virus is airborne, spread by sneezing, coughing, etc. It can be carried into your house by you - and you won't even know it. Vaccinate. If your ferret cannot be vaccinated (previous reaction, other illness, etc), and a titer has shown a low level of antibodies, do the best you can to decrease possible exposure by practicing good cleanliness and quarantine techniques. If your ferret cannot be vaccinated, and you have chosen not to get a titer, do the same - but really, folks, for your own peace of mind, get that blood test done.

Vaccinating after known exposure may help some ferrets, but is not a guarantee that they will not become ill, even if they are not showing signs when the vaccine is given.

As far as whether the shelter in question should be blamed or attacked - really? Yes, I have been asked that. They made a decision that in hindsight they are surely regretting with everything in them. They are already down - now is not the time to kick them. Now is the time to support them, do everything we can to help them save what ferrets can be saved, and then to learn from what happened. I can guarantee they will change their protocols now - let's make sure that happens in every shelter, before another one has to deal with this. Let's publicize this, let's make known what happened, yes. Let's not attack people who are, I am certain, already blaming themselves with more anger and regret than anything those of us who are outside the situation can possibly do.

There is no risk to the ferrets that attended the Buckeye Bash show - none of the ferrets from the GCFA shelter were there. Not to mention that all the ferrets at the show were required to have been protected, right? If someone decides to bring an unprotected ferret to a show venue and it becomes ill, whose fault is that, really?

The Chicago show - I was not going to it. I had been toying with going, until my dog's recent and very expensive emergency surgery put the kibosh on the idea. But if I had planned on going to it, I still would be. Any ferrets I would be taking are protected. And the shelter surely can use the money a successful show will give them. If you have been planning on going and are thinking of backing out because of this, I urge you to change your minds.

Folks, I see distemper in my clinic. Not often, thankfully, but I do see it. I use basic precautions, such as washing and changing clothing, spraying a disinfectant on my shoes, etc before I go home. If I have unvaccinated animals on the schedule after a suspected or confirmed distemper case, I call to reschedule their appointments. There is a certain level of panic going on here that is unwarranted, I think.

Vaccinate your pets. Run titers on them. Protect them, yes. And support this shelter and the volunteers who are going through a horrible time, with your money, with your attendance at their show if you were planning to go, with your good thoughts and wishes.

And work very hard to spread word on this so that no one is complacent about protecting their pets, a year or three down the line." ~September 2, 2013~

 

For more information on Ruth Heller, DVM or Ravensnest Ferrets, please click the link.

WHAT IS LOVE???

I do not know that I have ever had credit when credit was due.  I did hear him state, the other day, that I have become more "contemplative."  I am not sure what is expected of me, but that they expected me to go about as normal is just beyond belief.  Humans are stupid creatures.  They think that they can fix things so easily. That they can take my mind off of the events unfolding around me; that spending extra time with me or submersing me in new activities or experiences will make it better.

 

Humans, clearly, are incapable of love.  They do not understand how it is to have spent an entire lifetime with two others, only to have them lost within such a short time.  Humans attempt to find substitutes for love, replacements for love--foolish, foolish creatures.  They either spend their lives hiding from love; destroying love; or denying love.  Don't believe me?  Watch them.  See what you discover.

 

I may have been the only one that called "Big Guy" by his proper name of Sirius.  He told me once that he respected this beyond words and that it made him feel dignified and classy--I may have been young when I entered the fold, but I understand respect for my elders.  And Cinnamon, oh lords.  Where to start?

 

The humans never really understood Cinnamon.  She and I would have long talks late into the night.  She had difficulties sleeping and Sirius had difficulties staying awake.  They may have been soul mates, but there were many nights that she just needed an ear to listen.   Me?  I have always been a bit restless, myself, and sleep was just something that I hoped for during the many hours while waiting for the humans to let us out...

 

Cinnamon was so much more than what they saw.  Her spirit was gentle and loving; she simply had a sense of humor that made shenanigans impossible to pass up and she saw the humans as her captors.  She knew that she had a right to more freedom than they granted her--she was our collective voice.  Sirius was simply too passive.  Me?  Well, what did I know?  Cinnamon told me of the days of freedom; I had never actually tasted them myself.  Can any of us truly understand until we have actually lived through it and experienced it?  No matter how spectacular freedom sounded, I really only had my own experiences to view that world through.

 

But I digress.  The humans.  I have always been viewed as "The Simple One."  Sirius was "The Cuddler" or "Mama's Boy."  Sometimes they went as far as calling him "The Glutton"  (and they wonder why I refuse to partake of their offered food).  Cinnamon was "The Biter."  It was always, "Oh, watch out for her.  Watch she doesn't bite your feet."  Yet, they danced about like stupid targets and then got angry when she bit their feet.  Humans.  Ugh.  Lowest of low.

 

Yes, I am angry.  I am bitter.  My life has changed in a fraction of a second.  Sirius was the first.  It started with him being gone for periods of time and then returning home smelling different and being sore from the tests the humans performed on him.  Soon, Cinnamon was going with him during these journeys.  Eventually she started coming home changed, as well.  They told me about these visits.  Some of them sounded horrible and terrifying.  It made the girl human cry a lot.  The boy human doesn't know about those times--did I mention?  Inferior.  Not capable of love.  They do not know how to connect.  How to bond.  How to live...

 

Me?  Have you ever met a ferret NOT in the here and now?  We live.  We love.  And when our cage mates die?  YES!!! WE NOTICE!!!

 

How can I not grieve for the two that have been my life; my surrogate parents?  Just because Sirius and Cinnamon were bonded, the humans thought that I would be okay.  Here is the really sad part, for humans, these two know a smidgen about ferrets.  They understand that when our mate passes, it is just a matter of time--we give up.  The girl human states that she has seen it time and time again--she even claims that it is why she has never had less than two ferrets since discovering the pattern.

 

Yet here I am.  I lost Sirius three months ago.  It hasn't even been a week yet since Cinnamon left.  I know they think that I have always just been "Happy-Go-Lucky Roo" and now I am "contemplative."  I had never lost anyone.  Of course, I was bouncy and happy--I was living in the human equivalent of Eden.  Contemplative?  My entire world has just shattered in the blink of an eye.  Everything that I thought I knew?  A lie.   Yet the humans act like nothing has changed.

 

Had they even contemplated how the unbonded ferret would feel?  Did they think about me at all?  All they saw was how lost Cinnamon was after Sirius passed.  How broken she was.  I think they did genuinely feel her pain.  I know the girl did.  She cried and talked to Cinnamon relentlessly.  But me?  Where did they leave me?  They are both gone and I am still here. 

 

And the word the humans give it?  "Contemplative."  I loved them both.  They were each other's everything.  I was okay with that.  I had them both.  It was okay being the extra because I always had a place next to them.  I, too, had to watch Cinnamon go downhill after Sirius left.  Watching him leave was hard enough.  But at least Cinnamon and I had each other then.  I could never be her Sirius, I couldn't fill the space, but we found comfort in each other.  Or so I thought.

 

I remember her telling me about the others that had come before, about "Death."   She said that she never really felt it until he left her.  I know that I took it almost as hard as she did, because he was half of my world.  And now she is gone, too.  I didn't expect that.  I thought she would eventually follow me the way that she did him; or that I would follow her; either way...

She didn't love me enough to stay.  Neither of them did.

 

I leave you with the words of a human sage that Sirius taught me about...

 

"How can I go forward when I
don't know which way I'm facing?
How can I go forward when I
don't know which way to turn?
How can I go forward into
something I'm not sure of?

How can I have feeling when I
don't know if it's a feeling?
How can I feel something if I
just don't know how to feel?
How can I have feelings when
my feelings have always been denied?

You know life can be long
and you've got to be strong
and the world is so tough
sometimes I feel I've had enough.

 

How can I give love when I
don't know what it is I'm giving?
How can I give love when I
just don't know how to give?
How can I give love when love
is something I ain't never had?"

~John Lennon~

 

There are a few humans out there that do (or did) get it.  I can't think of any other words that better describe where I am right now...

 

 ~Broken and Not Sure That I Can Bounce Back~