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.

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Posted By Lance to Ferret Shelter News at 9/30/2009 08:18:00 PM