Northwest Pet & Companion Fair -- DONE!!!

We did it! We actually had a booth at the NW Pet & Companion Fair. It was awesome! At the last minute, everyone pulled together and helped out. I was blown away by all the help and kindness everyone gave.

I even managed to sell enough jewelry to almost pay for the entrance fee. Almost.

The ferrets also had a great time. Boo, shown here, was a picture of gentleness to all who held him. Awww.

I also found out at the Expo that Ike is up for adoption. Ike has always been one of my favorites. He is white with a dark tail, is super gentle, and likes to hang out on his back. In fact, I was going to adopt him when he first came in. Several people were fighting for the right to adopt him, but we spent too much time fighting and not enough time adopting. Nothing bugs Ike, which is why he was commandeered by Chris to take care of some baby ferrets that had been abandoned and needed mothering. Chris said, "I keep telling you, if you see a ferret you want, you have to take him right away, otherwise he may not be here tomorrow. Case in point equals Ike." But now the babies are raised, and Ike is free!

Now I just have to get my husband, James, to approve of me adopting Ike. This is not easy. I may have to resort to subliminal messaging. My husband says that we already have eight, and that is already too many. I say, well, what's one more? This strategy does not usually work. I may have to do what I did with the last one -- sneak him in and see if James notices.

Answering a Question

OMG! Someone actually read my blog! And they even asked me a question. I am in shock!

Anyway, here is the question:

"Hey, I fell in love with a ferret at a pet store and my girlfriend said that they're "dirty animals" so we couldn't get one. I was wondering if you had any insight as to whether or not ferrets are any dirtier than other animals?

PS Even if we were to get one I wouldn't get one at a pet store

PPS Is it true that ferrets can't see depth and may walk off of ledges?"

OK, first off, ferrets are not dirty animals. A healthy ferret is a remarkably clean animal. They groom themselves (and each other) a lot, although not as much as cats.

That being said, they have a smell. A musky smell. It's not as strong as the smell you'd have from a dog living with you (and I have a dog -- Golden Retriever -- so I know this). But it is noticeable. And some people just can't stand the smell. I always liked musky perfumes and colognes, so I never had a problem. But if your girlfriend doesn't, then she might have a problem with their scent.

Ferrets can see depths, but they can't see very far. They are nearsighted. And yes, they may walk off ledges, but that kind of depends on your ferret. I had a ferret who was stone blind and would walk off ledges for the hell of it. We called it "Fippy Bungee-jumping". (Fippy is pictured here, safely on the ground in a tube, one of his favorite hangouts. I miss that little guy.) Most ferrets are more careful around ledges, which is fortunate because otherwise the species would have died out a long time ago.

Thank you so much for reading my blog and asking a question!

Millie update

I am hanging out with Millie. She seems almost fully recovered. My poor little bald ferret! She is just so sweet-natured. I took her out of her hospital cage the other day. She is already back to being the preferred snuggler for all of the other ferrets. I am keeping an eye on her stitches so they don't explode from all the snuggle pressure.

This picture is from when she first came home from the vet. She looks pretty trashed here. Sleepy-eyed, very pliable. It was the first time I ever could get her to deliberately pose for a picture. Usually I have to sneak up on her to get anything good on camera. Even in her sedation, I could only squeeze out three pictures before she realized what I was doing and tried to make a run for it. Jeez, so camera-shy.

I am glad she is back on the job. I had to go to the Easter Hat contest using a diferent ferret. It just wasn't the same. She is my go-to gal for all costume contests, even though she hates being dressed up, simply because she is so small and so cute! She is a crowd favorite.

Thank the powers that be for her speedy recovery!

Millie is done and OK!

Millie is done with her surgery. She looks good so far. She even ran away from me when I snuggled her "too much" (for her tastes). I just had her laying on my chest, but I guess she has intimacy issues because after half an hour, she went and hid under a chair.

I just want her to be well. Snuggles later are fine.

Millie is getting her adrenal surgery

Right now, Millie is getting her right adrenal surgery. I am so worried. At least I know that I have the best people on the job. I just want her to be well and get home safely.

I was so frazzled that I forgot to leave them some of her kibble. I even brought it in a bag and everything like they asked. Fortunately, if they have to give her kibble, they sell both Totally Ferret and Evo, which are her favorites.

....

worry worry worry. Has it been only 5 minutes since I last looked at the clock? Time is slow.

Northwest Pet & Companion Fair

For some reason, my mind has determined that we should have a booth at the Northwest Pet & Companion Fair.

http://www.petfairs.com/

I have been obsessing on this for several days. I don't know why. Maybe it's because the other two charities I volunteer for have booths, and I think that Chris is at least as deserving as they are, if not WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY more.

Aside: OK, yes all the charities I volunteer for are wonderful, but I have a special place in my heart for Chris. You should see how hard she works every day to make that shelter run. It inspires me and breaks my heart all at the same time.

OK, so I am trying to get us a booth. Chris is waiting for the guy to get back to us with the correct form. He sent her the wrong one -- the vendor one -- for a booth that cost $450, not the nonprofit $160. YIKES! So we're not on track yet.

More later.

Adrenal Surgery for little Millie

It's a sad day for the household. I finally took Millie in to address her adrenal symptoms. Bad news: It is adrenal, and it's a right side adrenal.

The right side is the bad side. The right adrenal gland is super close to the vena cava, a major vein. Doing any kind of cutting around it is not a good idea.

However, I took Millie to the most skilled veterinarians I know, Emily Stuart and Meg Frey, who are over in Lake Oswego at Full Circle Veterinary Care (formerly LOV). Emily talked to me at length. They are the vets who amputated Millie's tail when she had that chordata, so they are quite fond of her too. (OK OK I'll tell that story later.) I totally trust these two vets to do their best by Millie.

Not only does Full Circle have the best vets in town, they also have the best vet tech in town, Tina. Tina always remembers me and my ferrets. She's always so good with my babies, even though Millie doesn't have a tail and thus has no easy handle to grip for taking temperatures.

So, if it had to be a right side adrenal, I have the best team in town to handle it. Now I just have to get through until Tuesday. I am so worried for my little polar bear ferret!