From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2001-03-09 00:11:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Gotta ask
>IS it really possible for someone to look at a sunken, emaciated
>ferret and NOT realize something was wrong?
>I know this seems almost silly but this has me extremely perplexed!
>Susan
Yes, it is possible. We have two older relatives who really make a
point of ignoring illnesses in their cats. It is not that they don't
care; rather it is that they care so much that they convince
themselves that they must be imagining things. They actually work at
it; then they are completely shattered if the cats die or have narrow
escapes once they finally get care. from your description these
folks have blinders that out-do our relations'.
We provided them with some vet books written for cat owners. Those
seem to help some, though they can't very well help as much as is
needed. We ask often in phone calls about the cats, too, though that
also has its limits. We have gotten them to at least get the animals
into old age, and to finally be willing to try surgery.
There are not similar books by vets for ferret owners, but there are
some things which go a long way in that direction: information on
multiple websites, for example, and some books. Kim Rushing's
_Ferrets for Dummies_ has a medical section that is almost a hundred
pages long within its 353 pages of text. Maybe you could print out
some of the available basic information complete with links to more,
and suggest some good books and periodicals?
If you change your mind after trying and decide that these folks
truly don't care and don't want to learn how to keep their ferrets
healthy, then perhaps you should investigate your state's animal
abuse laws and enforcement, esp. since you have necropsy results to
support you.