there is so much dicsussion now about vets and cleanliness and I feel it
necessary to point out that washing of the hands should not be restricted
to our vets.  In every room in our shelter, there is a sink, a soap
dispenser that is full of antibacterial soap and automatic paper towel
dispensers just so folks will constantly wash their hands while in the
shelter.  We also require that sick room staff changes their gloves after
handling each ferret or getting into every cage.  We have very few cases of
disease transmission here and it has saved us countless dollars in meds and
vet care, not to mention many hours of labor that is required for each and
every fuzzy who gets sick due to someones negligence.  This shelter is
loaded with policies that are strictly enforced and may be a pain in the
butt, but we have them and enforce them for a reason and anyone who doesn't
understand that isn't welcome to come back to the shelter.  Fortunately for
my volunteers and staff, we do try to mix fun with work so that this job we
do isn't so tedious and boring.  It's a nice feeling for me to look at my
hands any time of the day and see that they are clean because I have gotten
into the habit of washing my hands frequently.  It doesn't take a long time
and saves more than you realize.  We encourage everyone who works around
ferrets to wash their hands and not act like our fuzzies do when it comes
to getting wet.
 
Hugs to all,
Ferretguy
[Posted in FML issue 3234]