> From: [log in to unmask] (Mark Ouellette x8216)
> Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 09:04:04 -0500
> Subject: Ferret hearing, sensitive ears?
> Dr. Williams, another question for you: Do all Ferrets have sensitive ears,
> or is it just our two? Why do I ask? Well, whenever my oldest daughter
Mark, I can't speak veterinarily, not being a vet, but my understanding is
that ferrets *do* have sensitive ears to go with their sensitive sniffers,
to make up for their nearsightedness. FWIW.
> I know we're no the only ones with funny ferret follies, anyone else with
> similar FWF's (Ferrets With Fetishes)? I try to explain these tales to
Our Bandit has this thing for leather and latex. Oooh, how weird! No,
seriously, we knew he was getting well from his lympho chemo treatment
when he started dragging sneakers away again. He just can't stand for a
sneaker to be left alone, not on someone's foot! It's cracked up more
than one visitor to our house to see this skinny, wiry little ferret
dragging away high-top Reeboks or whatever else he can get his teeth on
that are bigger and heavier than he is! As for latex, well, a long time
ago we had to put the kitchen dishwashing gloves away out of his reach,
because he would hide them and chew holes in the fingers. He's stolen my
leather gloves, too. Jeff has a leather jacket that he sometimes hangs
over a chair instead of in the closet, and Bandit climbs up to get into
the pockets, and tugs at the sleeve trying to get it off the chair!
> Vet gave us is/contains ivermectin. Since we do live in an area with a
> high concentration of mosquitoes (NH), I will continue to give it to them.
Mark, I thought you were in Utah. Am I mistaken? I know one of my
CompuServe regulars has talked to a Sam Ouellette about joining the Utah
Ferret Association...
> From: Mason Weinrich <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 10:32:12 -0500
> Subject: Sign-off for now
> Second - if there are any people with ferret permits in the Ithaca, NY
> or central NY area, a friend of mine could use a hand. She has fallen
> in love with a ferret, but the people she is trying to get it from will
> not let her take it without showing a NY permit, nor will they hold it
> for her. She has been trying desperately to find someone with a
> permit. If anyone can help her out, it would be much appreciated.
> Her name is Connnie, and her phone # is 607-255-1191 (leave a message
> on her machine).
Mason, have Connie contact Otto Christofferson of the Central New York
Ferret Friends, 108 Parker Ave., Liverpool, NY, 315-457-1746. That's the
closest ferret group to Ithaca that I know of.
This sounds like a bit of a stall to me -- if these people have a ferret,
they should have a permit themselves, or be able to tell her how to obtain
one! She could also try contacting the fish & game department about
getting a ferret license. Have her check the blue pages in the phone book.
> From: ross <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 11:27:17 -0500
> Subject: hairy situation
Ross, if it's safe for kittens, it *should* be safe for ferrets. I have
no experience with Kittymalt, myself. I think Laxatone is another product
you might be able to try.
> Probably the most widespread is Purina ferret chow. Apparently there
> was some problem with Purina chow in the past due to a lack of
> taurine. That has most likely been fixed, but I haven't heard
> anything more about it.
Pam Greene:
My understanding is that Purina has two different ferret foods -- one
comes in 25 pound bags of "ferret chow" and the other comes in 4-pound
tubs marked "Mini Friends Ferret Chow." I've been told that the Mini
Friends formulation is inferior, though no specifics.
Additionally, a comment about Kaytee Ferret Food. Though Kaytee is high
in animal protein, and is marketed as being formulated specifically for
ferrets, our carpet sharks dislike it very much, and I've heard others say
the same. My understanding (not confirmed, though) is that it is based on
a formulation for mink, which are related to ferrets and their dietary
needs are similar. However, mink like fish, and many ferrets apparently
do not, and Kaytee is high in fish meal. This may be why many ferrets
don't like Kaytee.
Our guys used to get Science Diet Feline Growth, occasionally mixed with
Iams Kitten. Recently we switched to SD Feline Maintenance because Bandit
and Molly are getting older. We have tried Pro Plan, and the fuzzballs
loved it! We will probably get it again sometime soon, and mix it with
the Science Diet.
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 16:07:20 -0500
> Subject: San Diego Contact
Marc, if you live in San Diego and have a ferret, I suggest you ask Chris
to put you on the anonymous list. Meanwhile, no reason not to post the San
Diego contact -- it's Ferrets Anonymous, Pat Wright, P.O. Box 3395, San
Diego, CA 92163, 619-497-1085. Since Kim asked specifically about ferret
legalization, I gave her the CDFA contact.
> Leonard A. Jaffe - [log in to unmask] - My heart is a flower
Lenny, does this mean you're off CompuServe?
----------------------
To Bernard and Chewie:
To discourage foot attacks and toe-nipping, try spraying your feet with
Grannick's Bitter Apple Spray. It's available at most pet stores and
*most* ferrets hate it! We found Bitter Apple to be very helpful in
training the kids not to nip toes or bite phone cords. Similar products
have names like Sour Grapes and Bitter Lemon.
> From: "Judith Manning" <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 10:11:23 -0500
> Subject: Introduction,Kansas case
> impressed with it. I enjoy reading about other ferret antics, new toy
> suggestions etc. and am very grateful for Dr. Williams input. At this point I
Glad to have you with us, Judy! I've been an FML subscriber for going
on three years now (eek!) and it's a great resource.
> wish to comment on the Kansas case. If the story is factual (and I
> believe it is) then this is a very frightening incident. There was another
The Kansas case is absolutely factual, and yes, it is very scary. I've
spoken with several people who've been working with the McDowells,
including Troy Lynn Eckart, Ann Davis, and Pam Grant, and the picture they
paint is not pretty.
> My husband and I and several other ferret lovers are
> inquiring about this incident so we will have our facts straight and maybe we
> can
> do SOMETHING( I don"t know what yet). These events came as a shock to us
> because we naively assumed that USDA approval to use this vaccine in ferrets
> implied that the correct studies were done and that our ferrets would be
> protected from this sort of seizure by authorities. I do know that we will
> be very careful about letting our ferrets interact with visitors just in
> case! I'm also wondering why the company that produces the vaccine doesn't
> contribute to the shedding time study. Another question- if the shedding
> time study is done will our ferrets then be protected from the authorities?
There's a couple of problems here. First of all, there HAVE been
rabies shedding studies done on ferrets, but they've been done in Europe,
and thus hasn't been accepted in the U.S. by the rabies gurus, whoever
they are. Another problem is that, even though IMRAB is USDA-approved for
use in ferrets, certain schools of thought hold that ferrets are wild
animals and wild animals cannot be vaccinated. In some places, I
understand you can't even get your ferret vaccinated with IMRAB for this
reason (health department regs gone wild, IMO). Why hasn't a U.S.
shedding study been done? From my understanding, it's mainly political
(aarrggh!!) for various and sundry reasons. Squabbling between certain
ferret organizations hasn't helped (I'm naming no names here, nor taking
any sides, I just find it wearying and sad). Right now, Kansas State
University is raising money to do a number of shedding studies, including
ferrets, and has applied to the Morris Animal Foundation for the money the
foundation has raised for a ferret shedding study. This is great, except
I also know that Kansas State was asked to send an expert to the initial
hearing for the McDowell/Longtail/Kansas bite case, and for whatever
reason, failed to do so. Morris helped fund Rhone Meriux' studies to get
IMRAB approval, btw, and I understand that after that study concluded,
there was surplus money. Morris contacted the original donors to ask
where they wanted their money channeled, and apparently most opted to
redirect it to lympho and insulinoma studies. All well and good, but no
health authorities will take a ferret away and kill it because it has
lympho! :-(
Personally, I've decided to send my money to the Morris Animal Foundation
Ferret Fund, and ask them to earmark it for a ferret rabies shedding
study. The bottom line is, shedding studies take money. Whether Morris
does it, or makes a grant to Kansas State, the study is needed!
As for what else you can do, get involved with ferret groups that are
working to legalize ferrets in Ferret-Free Zones, or work with local
legislators to ensure that ferrets are LEGALLY defined in your locale as a
domestic animal! I can't tell you how many times I've heard that in cases
such as the Kansas case, or the Pennsylvania case last year (settled out
of court), that the fish & game department has declared ferrets as
domestic but the health department declares them wild!
Here's the address for Morris:
Morris Animal Foundation
Ferret Fund
45 Inverness Drive East
Englewood, CO 80112
Make sure to specify that your contributions are for a ferret rabies
shedding study!
Gads, what's happening to me?? I keep getting on that darn soapbox! <g>
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 0724]
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