Fighting or Playing?IBD in ferrets

Xylitol killsOwner PhotosShelter News

Holidy Photo ShootMemorials

Inside this issue:

SCHEDULE

11:30 am Load van at Barb’s

12:00 - 1:00 Set up store

1:00 Meeting starts

3:30 Raffle

4:00 Meeting ends

December 2013Newsletter

December TRFC MeetingSunday, December 15

Holiday party, ferrets exchange gifts, monetary dona-tions for shelter gift “box”, meeting planning for next year. This year we’ve decided to gather the money peo-ple would spend on items for the shelter gift boxes and to send a gift card instead. It’s cheaper to mail and the shelter can buy what they really need. It seemed silly to be shipping baby food and paper towels all over the US.

Is that fighting or playing?by Barb Carlson

The scenario: You just got a new playmate for your ferret and now they are rolling across the floor and rac-ing through the house. It looks rather frightening and you aren’t sure if they’re playing or fighting. How can you tell?

My rule of thumb is if you don’t see “flying poop” and they take turns being pounced on, then you’re prob-ably seeing play. If you see poop being flung all over the place and the ferrets are attached to each other at the scruff while rolling around and chittering, you’ve just witnessed “flying poop”. That’s an extreme reaction. In my experience, if they instantly attack each other and the poop flies, you’re probably going to have a serious problem. Some people have managed to get the old and the new to coexist after months of supervised interactions, but sometimes it just doesn’t work.

If one always runs away and one always pounces you may have a problem. If they take turns then they’re playing. The trick is not to allow stressful interactions to go on too long without interfering more than nec-essary.

If you have a situation where it looks like one wants to play and the other really does not -- he hides, screeches when the other ferret comes near, “barks” at the other ferret and runs as fast as his legs will carry him, sometimes they can learn to get along but sometimes it doesn’t work. In this case, the chasing ferret’s behavior will be an indication of potential friendliness -- or not. If the “pouncing” ferret stops when he hears chittering, if he backs off when the other ferret screeches or barks, then the pouncer may be willing to give the scared one time to get used to the idea of a buddy. Ideally, the frightened ferret will calm down over time and eventually be willing to accept a friend.

Sometimes, though, when one ferret screeches and runs, it triggers something in the other ferret that can only be described as “bully mode”. Some ferrets seem to think if the other ferret is running, then he must be guilty of something and should be abused. This behavior generally gets worse over time and doesn’t usually work out.

Normal play can get rough at times and some-times they do make noise (especially deaf ferrets). Sometimes the tails poof (especially if one gets too rough). I’ve seen them self-correct ... one gets too rough, the other one chirps (or chitters, squeals, etc.) and the pouncing one backs off.

If the pouncing one is deaf and can’t hear the verbal cue, the other ferret will sometimes jump the pouncing one, grab them by the scruff and shake the stuffing out of them (to let them know they’re mad). Deaf ferrets sometimes don’t realize they’re being too rough, which is also why there are more cases of nippy ferrets being deaf. If your ferret nips you too hard and you squeal, they would normally be a bit horrified.

Obviously there are always exceptions, and this is just a general guide.

Fleur-fleur owned by Terri Wall

IBD in FerretsA compilation of information from articles by Dr. Jerry Murray and Dr. Ron Hines

IBD, or inflammatory bowel disease, is a chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This interferes with the digestion and absorption of food, and that causes diarrhea. It also causes the intestines to be more susceptible to bacterial overgrowth, which can add to the inflammation and diarrhea.

IBD is a common problem in adult ferrets with chronically loose stools. There are other possible reasons for loose stools (Helicobactor, coccidia, Giardia, lymphoma, etc.) but IBD is a common cause.

The inflammation is a result of an abnormal response of the ferret’s immune system. Some things that can cause this abnormal response include food allergies, ECE (enteric coronavirus), bacte-rial infections and maybe genetic factors. The inflammation damages and thickens the GI tract making it harder to absorb nutrients.

Symptoms of IBD are diarrhea and weight loss despite eating. Later, loss of appetite, lethargy (being very tired) and loss of muscle mass can occur. Since these symptoms could be caused by other problems, the vet will need to do tests to rule other things out.

Dr. Murray said, “A fecal test is done to check for coccidia and Giardia. Blood work will usually show some elevation in lipase, globulin and ALT. Albumin may be decreased if protein is being lost in the feces. Ultrasound of the abdomen often shows a thicker intestinal tract and some en-larged abdominal lymph nodes. All of this is suggestive of IBD, but lymphoma in the GI tract can cause similar signs.” He also says that biopsies of the stomach and intestinal tract are needed to definitively diagnose IBD.

There is no cure for IBD, but there are treatments to reduce inflammation and control the diarrhea. In some cases, using a hypoallergenic food helps. Sometimes using a new protein source helps (rabbit, beef, duck, etc.). If it is not caused by food allergies, the treatment is to suppress the immune system and control inflammation with prednisone or prednisolone. Imuran (aziothioprine) is also sometimes used to suppress the immune response. Antibiotics are often used to treat bacterial overgrowth and drugs to control diarrhea are sometimes used. Dr. Murray thinks that B12 supple-ments help.

Most cases of IBD can be treated and the abnormal stools controlled for a long time, but treatment is usually needed for the rest of the ferret’s life. Cookie only used as photo prop. Definitely don’t feed

cookies to IBD ferrets!

Excerpted/paraphrased from an article by Jerry Murray, DVM, found at: http://tinyurl.com/mk9erx8

Another vet, Dr. Ron Hines, talks about IBD here: http://tinyurl.com/mwndf6l. His list of IBD effects are “loose stools, intestinal ulceration, vomiting, weight loss and debility. The pet’s liver is closely associated with its digestive system – so inflammation there (hepatitis) sometimes results.”

[Editor’s note: any kind of ulceration (of the stomach or intestines) will cause black, tarry stools and in very severe cases you will see actual red blood in the stool. Ferrets will sometimes cry or strain while they go, too.]

Dr. Hines also makes an interesting point, “In many ferrets, softening of their stools occurs gradu-ally – over months or years. When these changes first occur, they are easily overlooked by ferret owners. These pets gradually lose weight and condition and some owners think they are just get-ting old.”

Antibiotics sometimes used are amoxicillin, Baytril (enrofloxacin), or Biaxin (clarithromycin). Flagyl is hated by ferrets but is often very useful. Protectants like Carafate (sulcrafate) are often used. Sometimes the vet will prescribe something to lower the acid (like Pepcid) or Reglan (metoclo-pramide) which increases muscle contractions in the digestive tract (and sometimes helps with nausea). Dr. Hines sometimes uses an anti-spasmotic, which decreases muscle contractions.

The important thing is to work closely with your vet and not try to treat this yourself without guid-ance. You can see that some of the treatments are quite different.

Some people have had good luck by switching their ferret to a raw diet. [Editor’s note: Yes, I can hear you out there saying, “There goes Barb, pushing the raw diet again.”] Raw digests quickly, they often can absorb more nutrients from raw, and it guarantees you know exactly what is in your ferret’s food. Most people have to change the diet around until you find something that works. Some ferrets will do okay on turkey if they react to chicken, but others will react to turkey as well. Some shelter ferrets have done well on the dry Fe-line I/D food (hypoallergenic protein). Others react badly to the fillers in the dry food. Most ferrets are helped by adding a little pumpkin to their diet, but you don’t want to overdo it since pumpkin is a plant and ferrets don’t actually digest it. It’s used for roughage in this case.

Peanut, owned by Debra Callan

Xylitol kills(compiled by Barb Carlson)

This happened on Facebook on November 22 at 8:25 pm. As you read through the comments, you will notice that many of the people commenting focused more on the blockage hazard from the foil than the real issue, which was the Xylitol poisoning. You’ll also notice a number of people focused on using regular canned pumpkin rather than pumpkin pie mix (which has spices/sugar in it). I don’t think the pumpkin pie mix would have made a huge difference in an emergency.

This is a good example of the noise to information ratio you’ll find on Facebook. This is why it’s hard to know who to believe. Everyone sounds just as knowledgeable as everyone else, and that’s not necessarily true. If Dr. Heller hadn’t been online, it’s possible this girl would not have been sufficiently motivated to act quickly.

As you read through the comments, notice the time stamp for Noelle’s posts and how quickly the ferret went downhill. In this case, taking the time to induce vomiting (which most people don’t know how to do—I didn’t) probably saved the ferret’s life.

Noelle Zimmerman: Hey guys! I have a pretty urgent question here. My friend has a one year old ferret, and she is pretty sure he swallowed a stick of gum. She had it on her desk, and he ate the foil and all. I already told her to give him pumpkin pie filling, and to call a vet. Any other advice you can give?November 22 at 8:25pm

Susan M. Baker: Vet STAT ... 8:26pm

Sammi Lynn Peirce: vet asap! and keep a very close eye on them! ... 8:26pm

Jill Schiffman Brumley: NOT pumpkin pie filling, plain pumpkin! ... 8:26pm

Jill Schiffman Brumley: and to the vet asap! ... 8:27pm

Melissa Dennis: http://ferretfiles.blogspot.com/2011/03/xylitol-sugar-substitute-can-be-deadly.html .. 8:28pm

Brittany Homoki Heiman: vet asap .. 8:29pm

Deb Dixon: pure pumpkin puree then run to vet asap .. 8:29pm

Melissa Flynn: It’s not pumpkin pie filling it’s just plain canned pumpkin. Get him to the vet soon. ... 8:30pm

Nicole Scially: Plain pumpkin, and raw egg yolks and water! Emergency vet Asap! ... 8:32pm

Lisa Vaughn: Use the 100% pure pumpkin by Lib-bys. But the vet will probably do an x-ray to see if it can be seen. Blockages can turn bad quickly, so I wouldn’t delay in getting him to the vet if you’re sure he swallowed the gum and the foil. ... 8:32pm

Angie Woodard: Omg prayers! Keep us posted! ... 8:36pm

Ruth L. Heller: I am actually much more con-cerned about what type of gum. Sugar-free gun contains xylitol, which is very toxic in pets. Vet. Now. ... 8:39pm

Noelle Zimmerman: The gum was Extra- Spear-mint flavored. Sugar free. And also, I called her immediately and told her to get 100% pumpkin for her instead. She is going to go to the vet tomorrow morning, whenever they will take her in. She put Libby (The ferret) In her large kennel so she could keep tabs on her and she isn’t by the other ferrets. Libby is already starting to dry heave ... 8:42pm

Sammi Lynn Peirce: take her to the vet now!! i wouldn’t wait....it can get stuck somewhere can block air ways etc... 8:44pm

Jill Schiffman Brumley: Dr. Ruth, can this wait until morning? ... 8:43pm

Deb Dixon: take her now it cant wait at all ... 8:44pm

Linda Matlack: If a vet (Ruth Heller) is posting on here to take her to the vet now, I’d listen to her. ... 8:46pm

Ruth L. Heller: No, tomorrow will not do. Xylitol can cause severe liver failure and death. ... 8:46pm

Jill Schiffman Brumley: where is your friend No-elle? we can help find an emergency ferret vet in her area... 8:47pm

Ruth L. Heller: And that totally ignores the possi-bility of a blockage as well. ... 8:47pm

William Highley: LISTEN TO THE DOC. she needs help now. Not later!!!!! ... 8:48pm

Tammy Lichwa: GET HER TO A VET NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... 8:49pm

Ruth L. Heller: http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/toxicology/qt/xylitol_tox.htm ... 8:50pm

Ruth L. Heller: Signs of toxicity can be seen as quickly as 30 minutes after xylitol ingestion in dogs. The xylitol causes a rapid release of the hormone insulin, causing a sudden decrease in blood glu-cose. This in turn may cause the following symp-toms:

VomitingWeaknessAtaxia (uncoordinated movements)DepressionHypokalemia (decreased potassium)SeizuresComaLiver dysfunction and/or failure ... 8:50pm

Ruth L. Heller: These same signs occur in ferrets, although cats seem to be more resistant. ... 8:51pm

Jill Schiffman Brumley: http://exoticpets.about.com/od/healthandsafetyissues/a/Nebraska-Exotics-Vet.htm ... 8:52pm

Noelle Zimmerman: Sorry guys I went over to her house. The ferret, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, threw up the gum. We gave her some hydrogen peroxide and within a couple minutes, it flew out of her mouth. Some of the wrapper is missing it looks like, but at least the huge wad of gum is gone now. 9:10pm

Cam Kitchen: She needs a vet! Now. She might not make it through the night with not only the blockage, but the xylitol poison. If a dog swallows antifreeze, it cant wait till morning. Neither can Libby. ... 9:10pm

Ruth L. Heller: Excellent that the gum came out, hopefully she did not absorb enough of the xylitol to cause problems. She still should be checked. ... 9:11pm

Noelle Zimmerman: Yeah we found an after hours vet here, they are expensive but Hannah, Libby and myself are going to be going over there in about a half hour when the ferret vet is on call. I got the gum in a plastic baggy now, but libby looks kind of sick still. ... 9:12pm

Noelle Zimmerman: Libby seems extremely un-coordinated.She’s kind of fumbling around. Is this

because of that poison? ... 9:14pm

Susan M. Baker: YES! Signs of toxicity can be seen as quickly as 30 minutes after xylitol inges-tion in dogs. The xylitol causes a rapid release of the hormone insulin, causing a sudden decrease in blood glucose. This in turn may cause the following symptoms:

VomitingWeaknessAtaxia (uncoordinated movements)DepressionHypokalemia (decreased potassium)SeizuresComaLiver dysfunction and/or failure ... 9:15pm

Noelle Zimmerman: Oh god. Hopefully she can make it until 8:30 ish. [Note: Noelle lives in a differ-ent time zone. Her 8:30 was our 9:30.] That’s when the vet will be there. We are going to head over there now though so we can be there if anything happens. Libby drank some water a minute ago, then kind of just lied down next to the dish. Hannah is freaking out, and I’m worried too. ... 9:17pm

Ruth L. Heller: Yes, the uncoordination is likely due to xylitol. Definitely head over asap. ... 9:18pm

Susan M. Baker: Try to stay calm. We are sending prayers!!! ... 9:19pm

Angie Woodard: Why pumpkin? What about. Glu-cose now for hypoglycemia? ... 9:20pm

Susan M. Baker: Probably a good idea to check the glucose first. ... 9:21pm

Noelle Zimmerman: I don’t know how to check glucose ... 9:23pm

Susan M. Baker: The vet will prolly do it. ... 9:24pm

Noelle Zimmerman: Oh haha sorry. Duh ... 9:24pm

Susan M. Baker: It’s OK. ... 9:25pm

Jennifer Hollifield: Sending prayers ... 9:25pm

Angie Woodard: Prayers for Libby! ... 9:36pm

Traci Roth: Glad you’re going ti the vet. Curious? Why hydrogen peroxide? Is that even safe? Never heard of giving that to a ferret. Prayers for Libby! ... 9:40pm

Ben Erin Devardo Childers: I had to give hydro-gen peroxide to mine when he ate rat poison, he

threw it all up and he was fine. It makes them vomit, it’s perfectly safe. ... 9:43pm

Ruth L. Heller: Hydrogen peroxide is a fairly gentle method of inducing vomiting in dogs, cats and fer-rets.

Angie Woodward, the pumpkin suggestion was to try to stave off a blockage from the foil wrapper, but that actually is not the main concern here, in my opinion.

*If* the ferret starts having seizures, becoming unre-sponsive or more uncoordinated, giving some sugar by rubbing Karo on its gums might be life-saving - but waiting for the vet to get bloodwork is better if possible. ... 9:44pm

Susan M. Baker: This is good to know. How much hydrogen peroxide do you give? ... 9:47pm

Jill Schiffman Brumley: Prayers for you all. ... 9:48pm

Andrea Vizenor: Oh no! Poor weasel! Prayers for her. Keep us posted please! ... 9:48pm

Ruth L. Heller: Inducing vomiting with hydrogen peroxide - I strongly recommend reading the site I am going to link to. Bullet points - use 3% solution and NEVER the stronger stuff, dose is 5 ml per ten pounds, and there are lots of things that you should not try to make them vomit back up.

http://alexadry.hubpages.com/hub/How-and-when-to-induce-vomiting-in-your-dog ... 9:51pm

Denise Clayton Cambron: Keep us posted:( ... 9:55pm

Traci Roth: Thanks for that info Dr Ruth! Yes, I would be afraid of causing more damage by making them throw up BUT in emergency it could be a life saver. ... 9:58pm

Noelle Zimmerman: Okay, so the vet wants to keep Libby there overnight at the minimum because he says she has xylitol poisoning. He says he thinks it’s mild at this point, and that her vomiting the gum up saved her life. He did xrays and still sees some of the foil in there, so he gave Libby some pumpkin to help ease it out. She has blood drawn to check kidneys and liver to be safe, and her glucose was slightly below normal. They gave her a tad bit of carol syrup and gave her lots of water. She is lying in her cage right now sleeping. The vet says that she’s not out of the woods, but she’ll most likely make it through.

Also, I finally got a hold of my dad, who talked to the vet about things over the phone too. What a night for my parents to go out with friends. The one time I need help they are gone hahaha.

Thank you everyone for all of the fantastic advice. Without your help, Libby may be in an entirely different state. I will keep you all updated over the next day or two on Libby’s condition. Thanks again everyone ... 10:02pm

… (skipped some)

Ruth L. Heller: Excellent news, sounds like the vet is on the ball here, which is always good to have. Keep us posted.

… (skipped some)

Linda Matlack: Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you for being responsible ferret owners and doing the right thing for the ferret. So many times we read on here people who want to do anything BUT listen to advice when given, espe-cially when it’s - get them to the vet! Awesome job! Now just be careful with gum, anything rubber, etc because ferrets LOVE to steal anything they can get their grubby little paws on!

Linda Matlack: I had a suspected meds overdose (I had someone else give meds and he gave the wrong one/wrong dose) so I called the vets emer-gency line and they told me to give the hydrogen peroxide to make them throw it up (then I stayed up all night with the ferret to make sure it was ok) but I don’t remember much about it (it was over 15 years ago)

… (skipped some)

Cam Kitchen: Ruth L. Heller, thank you for post-ing valuable information! I know about hydrogen peroxide, but i never knew about carol syrup to help counter xylitol poisoning to buy some time! thank you again for such wonderful information. I wish you were closer to me, you sound like such a great vet! Im still trying to find the perfect one, so ive decided to go to school to be one myself!

… (skipped some)

Traci Roth: Do you mean Karo syrup? That is to raise her glucose. Glad she is being looked after!

… (skipped some)

Lindsey Breed Tootle: Yup, KARO syrup. By the pancake syrup at the grocery store. All ferret own-ers should have a bottle at home!

This story could have had a much different outcome. Lucky for the ferret, the owner was friends with someone who was knowledgable enough about ferrets to know this could be a problem and lucky enough to find a veterinarian online on Facebook late at night. If she had delayed even an hour, it’s unlikely the fer-ret would have lived. If they’d waited until morning, they would have most likely found a dead ferret.

Here are the links for your information (in tinyURL format so it’s not so hard to type):

Xylitol can be deadly: http://tinyurl.com/lmv9j4a

Xylitol link from Dr. Heller: http://tinyurl.com/yj2a74u

Inducing vomiting in your dog (or ferret): http://tinyurl.com/a35bjc3

[Note: Dose of hydrogen peroxide of 3% solution is 5ml/10 pounds ... for a 2 lb ferret, it would be 1ml. Read article for cases when do you NOT want to induce vomiting.]

There are some things I don’t even keep in my house (since ferrets have a way of finding everything that will kill them) ... Xylitol gum & candies, foam ear plugs, soft rubber squeak toys, foam flip-flops, syrofoam peanuts or formed packing that comes with electronic equipment, Christmas tree icicles (because of the cat, too). I consider these things to be just too danger-ous. I don’t keep meds in foil packs in my purse, back-pack or dresser drawers (even though my bedroom is off-limits).

Mostly, what I’d like you to take away from this is: be careful, be alert and be reactive. Call someone who would know (a good vet, the shelter, a knowledgeable ferret owner) and don’t rely on getting a timely answer from Facebook. Some-times it works, sometimes it doesn’t. This time it worked. She also posted in the American Ferret Association group on Facebook, which would increase the chances of someone knowledgeable seeing it. Keep your babies safe!

… (skipped some)

Noelle Zimmerman: Update: Hannah and myself went in this morning to check on Libby, and the vet says she is okay to go home. She was prancing around the cage when we went in to check up on her. The vet said that Libby is very luckyNovember 23 at 1:35pm

Lucky to be alive. No sugar-free gum for you!

Owner StoriesYo ex-homies!

Question for yinz: What happens when an Ermine meets a Ferret...It’s LOVE at first sight! My new mommy’s old name was Mary Gronostaj. If you translate “Gronostaj” from Polish to English it means “Ermine”. Kinda kewl, huh?

It’s me the “Mickster”, “Mickey”, now renamed Houdini, because of what I did when I came to my new “furever” home. My adopted mommy, Mary, decided that I should get some time, locked in my new crib, until I got used to my new homies here -- yeah, well, that’s not what I wanted, so I felt around and learned how to escape and in only a few moments, I WAS FREE! Free to roam from room to room, down the hall, down steps and then I was busted. “Peanut” my mommy’s Chihuahua and “Cuddles” my new sister’s Chihuahua/Terrier mix came up to me, sniffed my butt and the race was on. I chased them all through the kitchen, pausing under the micro-wave stand to catch my breath, then resumed the chase until mommy picked me up. She put me on her lap and as soon as I smelled Peanut, as she was sniffing me, I nipped her nose. From then on, me and the dogs got along fine. I was a little miffed when Peanut squealed on me the next morning after escaping when

everyone was sleeping and hiding behind that big thing in the living room; but it didn’t last too long cuz she introduced me to “Friskers” and “Sunspot” the kitties; and guess what? -- they’re even more fun to chase; and guess what else? -- me and the dogs love chasing them!

After chasing the kitties, I get pretty tired so I normally find a nice soft and warm box of yarn to climb in a catch a few z’s. After my two to three hour nap, I like to eat, drink, go potty and leisurely walk through the house, look-ing for fun. Mommy crafts a lot, so I normally check out the boxes and find her river rocks...then it’s a race to see how many I can hide before she sees me. She lets me do it cuz she says it keeps me off the streets and out of trouble. About the time Auntie Amanda comes home and brings in the newspaper, I curl up next to Peanut or on mom-my’s lap and get another nap. Then up again for a few more hours before bed.

I love my new homies, but if I want to be alone, all I have to do is do my “Weasel War Dance” and they all hide - they think I’m nuts. I even like crawling up on my mommy’s lap at night to get my claws checked, ears cleaned and teeth brushed. If I’m really good and don’t squirm too much, mommy has a special treat for me -- a great big tummy rub. See, after I’m done, I run to my bed, lay on my blanket and then mommy reaches in and rubs my tummy. (Mommy took this pic of me waiting for my tummy rub). When I yawn, she quits and I curl up in my favorite blankie where mommy has placed a yummy treat. Nite, nite, everyone!

Dictated by Houdini “escape ferret extraordinaire” to Mary L Young

Mickey at shelter

Houdini (formerly Mickey)

Owner Stories

Top photo: Rocco (formerly Rocky) in his favorite sleeping spot.

Photo on right, Thor (formerly Toki) in his favorite spot (inside the shirt).

Heather Dobson

Owner StoriesWe habe weekly play date trips to my aunties house...

Captian Marvel taking a nap while Mochi helps cousin Bethani with her chemistry homework,

Honey is investigating the underside of the book-shelves haha.

Alexandria Dingess

Owner StoriesJust a quick update: Albert and Olly (on top, formally known as Roger Rabbit) are doing wonder-fully. Seems like they are at-tached at the hip these days!

Nicholas Keicher

Shelter News

It's business as usual at the Hide-E-Hole Ferret Rescue. We had 7 surrenders this month. Our first pair had a long trip up from West Virginia, but with the help of TRFC member Lisa they made it safe and sound to Pittsburgh. Brutus and Roscoe are a very cute and active pair of boys. Its hard to believe with his wide blaze stripe Brutus can hear.

Our second pair, Ace and Daisy, came to us because the owner had moved, wasn’t allowed to have them and just didn’t have the time they deserved. What we didn't know was that Ace is a tri-athlete! He can run fast, climb high and jump far. Daisy is just a laid back cutie. She can keep up with Ace but can't climb like he does. So who's up to this challenge? Ace even got over the fence and visited Roy in bed at 2:30 in the morning. Roy was not amused.

Brutus Roscoe

Ace Daisy

Shelter News

Next to come into shelter we have Sneaky Pete. We don't know alot about Pete because he was hurriedly dropped off at the humane society. The person dropping him off didn’t want to leave any information. Shortly after Pete arrived, he bit a vet tech which makes him un-adoptable by Humane Society standards. They called Barb to see if the shelter would take him in. Since being not adoptable means they will be eutha-nized, we picked him up right away. Pete has been feeling down and not eating alot so he took a trip to the vet. Poor Pete has very bad liver disease (to be treated with antibiotics, milk thistle and Hepatosupport). With proper handling and alot of positive attention Sneaky Pete will hopefully become a chill ferret.

Let us not forget Calyope and Bartholomew. They come to us for a very common reason: moved, unable to keep. Calyope is a very cute deaf girl with a slight blaze. Batholomew is just plain cute.

Returning favorites Sydney and Sasha are back at the shelter after a short (but fun) foster gig. The animal friendly family discovered that not only are they very allergic to ferrets, but their family dog wanted to eat the ferrets. Not a good match.

First out the door this month and into an awesome forever home is Roger Rabbit. He did very well with his new playmate and his new family loves him a lot. Good luck in your new home Roger (now named Olly).

Sneaky Pete

Shelter News

Yuki did very well after his spleen removal. He lost some annoying weight and is in less pain without that huge spleen pulling on his stomach. He's happy now especially since he has found his forever home, too. Yuki was adopted by a lady who saw the newscast about the poor conditions he’d been kept in and had been incredibly patient waiting for him to be ready to go home.

Sterling is still growing fur at a steady pace but not as quickly as others who have gotten the implant. We're hoping for a full fur coat by Christmas. He seems to be feeling fine, though, and still likes to follow you around like a puppy. He loves to help clean and you have to be careful since he’s always right at your feet.

The shelter is nearing capacity again adoptable this month we have Billie, Brodie, Micki, Bradley, Amarette, Ace, Daisy, Sydney, Sasha, Calyope, Bartholomew, Sneaky Pete, Sterling, Ace and Daisy.

Yuki

Holiday Photo Shoot

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Holiday Photo Shoot

We wish to remember the ferrets that have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.

If you would like your ferret to be re-membered, send the appropriate informa-

tion to TRFCnews@gmail.com

Memorials

Beloved Kaos owned by Rhonda Wilson.

Our beautiful big boy Bugsey lost his battle with cancer on October 17, 2013. We believe he’s in a better place, with all our other fer-rets that have passed before him, playing in the sunshine, across the Rainbow Bridge! He was truly a remarkable guy that was the ‘glue’ that kept our different clans together. One minute he would be the tough guy in a game of rough house, and then turn around a few moments later and enjoy being the fall guy for another fert’s joke...so mellow and kind. All of our ferrets just loved him. We’ll miss him so much!

Ginger & Darwin Webb

DIP, Athena. You were a very en-tertaining niece and houseguest. I’ll never forget the day I found you peeking out of the Oriental ginger jar on top of the cupboard. Your climbing exploits are legendary. I know you are happily dooking it up with Chaos at the bridge. Love you . . . always.

Love, Auntie Pat

We wish to remember the ferrets that have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.

If you would like your ferret to be re-membered, send the appropriate informa-

tion to TRFCnews@gmail.com

Memorials

Athena died 11/21/2013 of kidney dis-ease. Her best buddy Streak was togeth-er with her in the sleep sack where she was found, and he didn’t want to come out. I think he must have been trying to comfort and protect her.

Ross & Jenae

FSF’s Little Miss Can Do No Wrong of DLF aka Little Miss on 11/15/13

Susan George

Miscellany

Three Rivers Ferret Council, Inc. 145 Margaret Street

Pittsburgh, Pa. 15210 412-431-2830

Trfcnews@gmail.com

www.3rfc.org A 501(c)3 Non-Profit

Organizationtrfc@3rfc.org

TRFC YAHOO GROUPDISCUSSION LIST

Want to tap into a wealth of advice and informa-tion? Join the TRFC

Yahoo discussion list! It’s easy–just ask Barb at (bcarlson@andrew.

cmu.edu) for an invitation link, click on the link, and

you’re done!

A BIG BIG THANK YOU to those volunteers who have been keeping the shelter running. They have been dedicating a large portion

of their time to keeping the shelter running while Barb deals with other things and they are greatly appreciated.

THANK YOU!Supplies needed: Wood pellet litter, paper towels, EVO Dog

little bites. Volunteer Op-portunities: Cage cleaning, helping with shelter records and book keeping, Nails and Ear cleaning before meetings – you can help load the van

too!

Dates for 2014:January 19

February 16

March 16

*April* falls on Easter ... which would you rather have, April 13 or April

27th?

May 18

*June* falls on Father’s Day ... do you want to do it June 15 or the following

week on June 22?

July 20

August 17

September picnic

October 19

November 16

December 21 or 14?

FOR SALE: CAGESA variety of cages for sale at the Hide-E-Hole Ferret

Rescue ranging from cheap to free.

Email:

rescue@hide-e-hole.com

FOR SALE:

New style Ferret Nation cage: $100

email: bcarlson@andrew.cmu.edu