Ferret Lovers Post

Sharing in response to the following in one of my ferret groups: "What are your opinions on Marshall farms? Their products? Their breeding practices?"

My two most recent Marshall Farms ferrets did not even make it to their first birthdays.  Both were diagnosed with Juvenile Lymphoma; both were Marshall Farms ferrets; they came from the same Petco; both females—one was a sable, the other a blaze.   Hundreds of dollars in vet care, within weeks, and I still ended up losing them.  Firecheeks lived five months (08.10.14 - 01.29.15); I had her ten weeks. Joey was seven months old when she died (05.05.13 - 12.11.13); I had her fifteen weeks.  

I was very bonded with Joey, and even though it has been fifteen months since she died, I am still grieving.  I have done ferret rescue for over 25 years.  Very few of my ferrets were hand-selected just because I fell in love them, there were very few that I was the first owner, but Joey was one of them.  When we buy babies, we have visions of years together, not weeks.  On Friday, December 6, 2013 Joey was just a bit off—by the following Wednesday and three emergency vet visits later, she crossed the bridge.  

X-rays and sonogram showed that her body was full of cancerous masses--lungs, liver, internal organs. She was struggling with breathing and was basically a shell. No hope with chemo, she was already too far gone, already suffering too much. She spent the last few days in her sleeping sack, poking her head out when I would come in, but not much beyond that.  I had already bought and wrapped a ton of Christmas presents for her and just loved this little girl beyond belief.  It still breaks my heart, all of the gifts I picked out and knew she would love—and she wasn’t even here for Christmas.  I didn’t see it coming—one minute she was full of life, days later, she was gone.  

Against my better judgment, and maybe because the one year anniversary of losing Joey was approaching and I wasn’t dealing with it well, I fell in love with another Petco baby and decided to try again. I bought Firecheeks 11.15.14 and knew something was wrong within her first two weeks here. The good news is that due to the issues I had with Joey, I was able to spot Firecheeks' symptoms as soon as they started to show.  My local Petco was actually pretty supportive through the first lost with Joey--this past one, they haven't said much. I think they initially believed that I had some fancy ferret scam going on. You know the one--where you buy a baby, sink hundreds of dollars into vet care within weeks and it still leaves you much too soon...  

Regardless, Petco was willing to buy Firecheeks back and deal with her vet bills, but this was her home. We made the best of her time here and while it sucked for me, for her sake, I am grateful that I was the one that bought her. Her few weeks were as bright as they could be--her bites were forgiven (I knew that she was in pain and didn't have other ways of telling me because she wasn’t a biter until those last weeks) and she still had more love than some ferrets are granted in a life time.  Those fleeting moments when she had energy and could play were beyond special. 

I didn't know with Joey. That Friday she wasn't herself; by Wednesday, Joey was gone. Had I known, she would have gotten her Christmas presents early. Things would have been done so differently. I was given a special window with Firecheeks.  While it is difficult on so many levels--I am exceedingly grateful for that time to prepare, to say goodbye and to let go.  If only we could always be granted that with our ferrets.

I know ferrets have short life spans, but honestly, this has been too much.  Friends joke that I am running a ferret hospice.  My understanding is that Juvenile Lymphoma is exceedingly rare--that losing two ferrets to it is simply against the odds. Both of them being Marshall ferrets and coming from the same Petco, within such a short period of time? Bordering on improbable.  Between these two experiences and the challenges I had with Winzig, years ago (complications due to early spaying)—I was already leery of Marshall Farms.   

And since I am unwilling to feed ANY of my ferrets Marshall's food, that cancels out their guarantee and if you read the fine print, their guarantee doesn’t cover cancer, juvenile lymphoma or anything that is likely to kill your baby within the first year.  I have owned a slew of Marshall ferrets during my life time and currently five of my six are Marshall Farms (four are rescues, one is a Path Valley); but honestly, I am thinking I may be done with Marshall Farms, at this point.  I will still do rescue, but that is it.  Pretty sure that anger is also a normal phase of grief and since Marshall Farms is the common denominator, can you really blame me?