My thanks to Pam Greene for reposting the info on obtaining a copy of the
STAT*Ferret database.  I'd tried to do so off the top of my head (my
references being packed after my recent move).  I'd like to add to any
CompuServe members subscribing to the FML that the STAR database is also
availabe for download from the Small Mammals Library/Library 11 of the
Pets/Animals Forum (GO PETS).
 
I cannot emphasize enough what a valuable resource the STAR database is.
For those unfamiliar with it, STAR*Ferrets is Shelters That Adopt & Rescue
Ferrets, a nationwide (U.S.) organization out of Virginia, run by Pam
Grant.  Pam has put a lot of time and effort into the compilation and
maintenance of this database, which contains a comprehensive listing of
ferret breeders, shelters, vets, clubs, contacts and suppliers.  Though
not as extensive as the U.S. listings, it also contains international
listings.
 
I'd like to ask FML subscribers to check out this list, and if your vet or
other ferret contact is not on this list to PLEASE e-mail me with the
pertinent info -- name, address, phone number -- of your vet or other
ferret contact, and I will be THRILLED to compile this info and pass it on
to Pam Grant for inclusion on the next STAR*Ferret update.
 
As we've all noted, ferret info can be sometimes difficult to come by, so
all the resources we can gather and support will only help us all!
 
In my own case, I discovered the FML through CompuServe more than two
years ago, when I was desperately seeking information on lymphosarcoma in
ferrets when my beloved Bandit was diagnosed with this disease.  For those
of you who are more recent subscribers to the FML who didn't get to follow
Bandit's journey, I can tell you that he has been in remission for about a
year now, following a year of chemotherapy.  The support I got through the
FML and from CompuServe was absolutely invaluable; I am firmly convinced
that Bandit would not be alive today without them.
 
For those interested, the chemotherapy protocol that Bandit underwent was
posted to the FML back then and can be found in the back issues.  Pam
Greene, I would like to forward this to you under separate cover for
inclusion in your ferret FAQ, assuming you don't already have it.
 
Whew, I haven't spent so much time on the FML ferret soapbox for a long time!
 
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 0720]