> Subject: CA court case???
> Date:  Tue, 6 Apr 1993 02:03:59 -0400
> From:  Nancy Hartman <[log in to unmask]>
>
> Has anyone heard anything from the CA court case???
 
I talked to someone in California about this last Friday.  The hearing (if
that's the proper terminology) has been delayed, due to some legal
motions.  The person I spoke to said they were still quite optimistic,
despite the delay, and suggested contacting Bill Phillips of the
California Domestic Ferret Association for the details, which I have
unfortunately have not had time to do.  I'll try to get to it this week.
 
>   It's me again(Marie Hines) with my new family member and I have some
> questions.  Oshi shivers when she first wakes up and when you take her to
> new places.  Is that normal?  She's 6mos old.
 
Marie, some of our ferrets do this, and some don't.  I have no idea why,
myself, but haven't worried about it, since there were no other signs of
distress or ill health.  Does Oshi appear otherwise in good health?
 
>   Also I've read lot's of conflicting views on shots.  Which shots do th
> they need?  And which distemper Canine or Feline or both?
 
Ferrets need two vaccinations -- rabies and canine distemper.  The only
rabies vaccine approved for ferrets is IMRAB.  Whatever you do, make sure
the rabies vaccine is NOT of ferret origin.  There are two canine
distemper vaccines generally used for ferrets -- Fervac-D by United
Vaccines, and Fromm-D by Solvay.  The canine distemper vaccine must be a
killed-type vaccine, not of ferret origin.  My ferrets have always had
Fromm-D.  Also, it appears that it may be best that these shots not be
given at the same time, to lessen the chance of an allergic reaction.
 
>   Also I've read a lot about the shows on the FML.  What kind of shows
> are this and what's the best way to find out about them?
 
There are numerous ferret shows given around the country, generally
sanctioned by one organization or another, including the American Ferret
Association (AFA) and the Ferret Unity and Registration Organization
(FURO), among others.  Several FML subscribers periodically post lists of
upcoming shows, so I'd keep watching the list!
 
> [] Wet food? Linatone?
> I have never fed J & Y wet food.  They have eaten Science
> Diet(TM) Growth (dry) food since I got them.  A couple of months
> ago I started mixing the Growth food (designed for kittens)
> with the Maintenance (for cats), 50:50 (the critters wouldn't
> eat straight Maintenance).  They have thrived on this diet.
> Once every two or three days, I squirt some Ferretone (like
> Linatone) into their dish.
 
We've never given our carpet sharks wet food, always dry.  Generally it's
been a mix of Science Diet Feline Growth with something else -- either
SD Feline Maintenance, Iams Kitten or Cat food, Kaytee Ferret Food, or
Purina Ferret Chow.  Their favorite is SD Feline Growth.  Look for dry
foods with a high percentage of animal protein.  As for Ferretone/
Linatone, we give a few drops from time to time as a treat (or a bribe),
to help them associate something nice with something they don't like,
such as getting a bath or getting their nails trimmed.  Sometimes they go
for some time without getting any, and it doesn't seem to hurt at all.
 
> [] You might ask your local pet food store to order some
> Ferretone(TM) for your kids--it is made by the same company
> as make Linatone.
 
A slight correction here: Linatone is made by Lambert-Kay, and Ferretone
by Eight-in-One.  I THINK (but am not positive) that Ferretone has
slightly more Vitamin A.  There is some confusion over whether large doses
of vitamin A in Ferretone/Linatone might be harmful, which I don't think
has ever been settled.  I prefer to err on the side of caution, and limit
intake to "treat" status.
 
> [] Airplanes?
 
This has been discussed in the past on the FML, but I don't recall off the
top of my head what the different airlines' restrictions are.  Perhaps
someone with better knowledge will jump in here again.  My husband and I
have relied on a trusted pet sitter, rather than worry about having to
deal with potential airline problems.
 
> Date: Wed, 7 Apr 1993 00:42:48 -0400
> From: "Iceland Boy!" <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Descenting.
>
> I've become quite confused about the practice of descenting among ferret
> owners.  On the one hand, I had believed that it was a common practice, to
> be done right along with spaying and neutering.  But now, I've heard more
> and more that it should be done "only if absolutely nescessary".  Hmmmm..
> Which is it?  Is it devided pretty much 50%-50% among owners?
 
Neutering is essential (unless you're a breeder and know what you're doing
with whole ferrets), but descenting is, uh, controversial.  It IS quite
common, and I suspect that 99 percent of ferrets sold in pet stores have
been descented.  But many ferret experts seem to feel that descenting at
an early age could lead to health problems later.  There haven't been any
scientific studies done (that I know of) to support this, but there seems
to be anecdotal evidence of it.  I'd say, if your ferret comes from a pet
store, it's probably already been done.  Otherwise, it may not be
necessary unless your ferret "sprays" or is unbearably stinky, to the
point that regular (monthly) bathing doesn't keep the odor under control.
My opinion, of course.
 
 Katie, Jeff, Bandit, Molly, Charlie, Pogo & Sigmund
 ---------------------
Katie Fritz
Small Mammals Section Leader/CompuServe Pets Forum
Internet: [log in to unmask]  CIS: 71257,3153
 
[Posted in FML issue 0450]