Dr. Krupka to the Rescue!

Our newest rescue, Tommy Bear, comes to us with a great story that goes out with a special tribute to our vet, Dr. Frank Krupka, and the wonderful staff at Avon Lake Animal Clinic.

Tommy Bear is a 6-7 year old dark-eyed white ferret, whose family brought him in to Avon Lake Animal Clinic on September 23. They were heartbroken because they knew he needed urgent attention and that they could no longer afford to provide him with the veterinary care he required. Rather than prolong his life in this condition, they asked Doc to euthanize him.

These were not heartless or negligent owners. They loved their pet, but were facing serious financial difficulty. They were distraught over what they perceived as a necessity to put their beloved pet to sleep.

Tommy Bear had a large tumor at the end of his tail that had ulcerated and had several mast cell growths on his back. But, he was alert and showed no signs of any organ or major systems failure. Dr. Krupka told us, “I took one look at this ferret and was convinced that he didn’t need to be put down. I believed there was still an opportunity for him to live a good life, despite his age.”

Dr. Krupka then went the extra mile for which he is so well known. He told the owners about FURS, downloaded the FURS surrender agreement from our website, and convinced the family to surrender Tommy to FURS, rather than euthanize him. Happy to learn that there was an alternative to what they were tearfully considering for Tommy, the owners did so.

Tommy Bear is now with us, recovering from the surgical removal of about an inch of his tail and treatment for his mast cell growths that Avon Lake Animal Clinic provided pro bono (a special ‘thank you’ goes out to Dr. Dodson at Avon Lake for performing Tommy’s surgery). He is alert and happy to still be on this side of Rainbow Bridge, although he misses his family. We are hoping that as he recovers, his spirits will revive also.

Tommy Bear’s family was so overjoyed that he could be saved (although sad that they had to part with him) that they donated the cost of what they were planning to spend for euthanasia to FURS’ account at Avon Lake for Tommy’s ongoing care.

Tommy Bear is currently in quarantine, but will be available for foster care and/or adoption in a couple of weeks. If you would like to foster, adopt, or sponsor Tommy – and/or any of the other wonderful ferrets in our care, please visit see our available ferrets on our web site.

So much of what we experience and report tears at our hearts. So, it’s always great to be able to share news about other peoples' love for their pets and the exceptional kindness of vets like Dr. Krupka and the outstanding Avon Lake Animal Clinic staff.

Doc has been officially designated an honorary FURS Intake Coordinator and is on Tommy’s (and our) list of favorite people.

Pet Blessing

Join us this Saturday, October 3rd, at Saint Christine's final pet blessing! Bring your pets, meet other families and their pets, and visit with our volunteers. Sadly, Saint Christine's parish will be closing within the year, so this will be the final blessing. Make it a memorable one and stop on down. The event starts at 10 AM and celebrates the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi in praise of all animals, big and small.

Here are the details for the location:

St. Christine Church
840 E. 222nd St.
Euclid, Ohio
Saturday, October 03, 2009 at 10:00 AM

We hope to see you there!

Ferret Bandanas

Ferrets Unlimited is selling these cool ferret bandanas, perfect for both people and pets that love ferrets.

The bandanas are 21 inches square and are only $8.00, which includes free shipping to U.S. addresses.

Order your ferret bandana today!

Ivy, An Emotional Battle

by Sarah Romano

Ivy has been with us for a year and a half now. She is 6-7 years old. Her story is a sad one. When she came to us, she was skinny and terrified of everyone and everything. The more we saw her, the more her sad past was unveiled to us. We believe that she had been abused. This awful thing has damaged her emotionally.

Ivy was so scared of humans she was put with another ferret for comfort. They loved each other, but unfortunately her cage mate George passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. Ivy was devastated! She stopped eating and drinking. She would have withered away until she died if we had not hand fed her until she would eat on her own. She grew to trust us, so we offered to foster her.

Her past left a wound that will probably never heal completely. Ivy is an emotional little girl. To this day, she will stop eating if anything in her life changes, even slightly. This can be very bad, as Ivy has recently been diagnosed with Insulinoma, a low blood sugar disease that can be deadly in ferrets. She must keep eating to maintain her sugar level. She is on daily medication to regulate her blood sugar.

Ivy is comfortable in her foster home. She runs and plays and is very happy. However, because of all her health and emotional issues, Ivy will probably not be moving out of her foster home. Since we do not euthanize, she will stay in her loving environment for the rest of her years.

This is the case for many of the ferrets at Ferrets Unlimited Rescue Services. Your support helps us with the medical bills for these old but very sweet souls. Just because they may be a little older doesn't mean they shouldn't be loved just as much as the others! They should shine!

You can sponsor one of our hard to place ferrets. A regular donation to a particular ferret will go for his or her medical bills. Show these golden oldies they do matter! Maybe you want to adopt but can't, try sponsoring a ferret! You will get monthly updates, pictures and we can even arrange for you to meet him or her, if you wish.

Ivy has been sponsored by Diane and Daniel and by Megan. Thank you!!

Skunkfest

Come join us on Saturday, September 12th, at South Central Park in North Ridgeville for Skunkfest 2009! You'll find games, music, contests, raffles, special guest speakers, and of course - skunks! Check here for full details. The event begins at 10:00 AM and runs until 5:00 PM.

You find a full list of vendors here.

Skunkfest 2009
South Central Park
7565 Avon Belden Road
North Ridgeville, OH

See you there!