Roger and Chris (mostly Chris) - Fara might not have the best personal
skills in the world, but she does one hell of a job. I wouldn't want
to have to deal with all the crap she has to deal with. You can't
blame her for being defensive and short tempered at times. I don't
agree with the way she handles things all the time, either. But
she one of the integral people working towards the good of ferrets.
She's responsible for a lot of good information, which is hard to
come by. Yes, she's short tempered. Yes, she's opinionated. But
if we debunk her, and FURO, we are discrediting the largest pro-ferret
organization in this country. Roger has the right idea, just
sigh and take it with a grain of salt. Let's not publish letters
to "let people know which organizations to avoid". There's much,
much too much politics and hatrid in ferret-land as it is. Can't we
all *TRY* to work together instead of vowing to hate each other for
eternity because our views differ on one or two points, even though
our primary goal is the same!
I'm sorry, I'm just extremely fed up with all the politics, insults,
and hatred between all the major groups. We would get so much more
accomplished if we would just work together!!!
[I'll respond on this topic, generally, in the next issue. I don't have
enough time now, and this issue has been delayed long enough.]
---
> 50% of all ferrets under the age of 4.5 die by being crushed in the
> mechanisms of reclining chairs. 50% of all ferrets older than 5 will
> contract some form of cancer from which most ultimately die. The most
Yikes! Did she present these as actual statistics or just estimated
ones? I find the 50% die in reclining chairs to be a bit high. Maybe
if she means of those that die, 50% are by reclining chairs.
Personally, I hear of a *LOT* more deaths from intestinal blockage
than I do from reclining chairs. Plus, there's an awful lot of
them that are killed by other means of crushing (doors, feet, ...).
(insert standard plug for having your ferrets wear collars w/ bells
and I.D. tags here... )
---
O.K., I should probably know this, but just what is L.I.F.E.?
---
> From: Robert Malick <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Tail hair loss
Given her young age, I would try EFA-Z for a few months (about 1-3 ml
a day) to see if it's a lack of Zinc. If The baldness continues to
expand, or she shows any other signs of cushings/adrenal tumor (swollen
vulva, weight loss, thinning skin, muscle mass loss) then she's
likely got an adrenal tumor.
If you do suspect adrenal tumor, have your vet call:
Dr. Thomas Kawasaki
Old Bridge Veterinary Hospital
3604 Old Bridge Rd.
Woodbridge, VA 22192
703-494-0094
At this point, though, I suspect it's diet or stress. Some ferrets
just get a rat tail every time they change coats. My suggestion is
to get some EFA-Z from your vet, and see what happens until her next
coat comes in.
---
Suki, Thanks for writing that all out. I'm going to pass a copy
on to my vet (unless you have a better copy).
I'm glad to hear that all your kids are doing so well now. You've
had such a run of bad luck for the past few years.
---
RE: Barbara's teeth cleaning posting -
To tell the truth, I haven't done it yet. I've lucked out and have
been able to get one of my friends to do it up to now... :)
I do strongly suggest that first-timers get someone to help hold
the ferret. It really takes two hands to hold them still. Also,
do it on a hard, slippery surface, like a table top. They can't
squirm as much if they can't get their claws into the surface.
As to getting the inside of the teeth, have you tried putting something
in their mouth so they can't close it? Maybe a pen, or something else
a little thinner? Or, use something bigger around and put it between
their front teeth?
- Nancy
Nancy Hartman CIS graduate student
[log in to unmask] U. of Delaware
President and founder, Delaware Valley Ferret Club
Owner of Percy, Bree, & Popcorn, the ferrets
[Posted in FML issue 0424]
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