Dear Squawbread:
 
>She asks her boyfriend if he would make her give up her ferrets when they
>have a baby one day, and he said well.... it depends on what the doctor
>said.  I would like to ask those of you that had a baby and still have
>the ferrets.  Did u have any problems with the ferrets and the baby.  I
>personally think that there is no way that the ferrets can cause the
>baby's health.
 
With normal care and the same sanitation that all ferrets and babies
require, a ferret poses a minimal risk to any baby, certainly no more than
a cat or dog.  Pediatricians should not be the one to decide whether a
household with a newborn has a pet or not - the parents are the best ones
to decide.
 
My wife and I had a baby 19 months ago, who is now a toddler.  While he
gets into everything, he coexists peacefully with our 3 ferrets, four dogs,
and a literal menagerie of wildlife which we feed in our backyard.
 
Our ferrets have their own room, and run free with the baby under
supervision (as much for their own sake as for the baby's.)  Remember,
any pet and children under 6 do not mix without an adult present.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, dVM
 
Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
Chairman, AFIP Dept. of Telemedicine
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
Washington, DC 20306-6000
(202) 782-2392
 
Ipsa scientia potestas est.
[Posted in FML issue 3243]