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.