Meltdown has a huge bladder but she is going MUCH longer than normal today
without any slow-down in drinking.  Don't know if she may be tending toward
a new ascites worsening or if her kidneys are acting up, or what.  Hope she
piddles soon; then it will just be a false alarm.  Bladder is NOT bloated
or tender.  She's not showing any pain, but if this goes on much longer
I've got to call the vet for advice.
 
Doing the right thing:
Maybe the thing to do is to get together with other critter people such
as vets and shelter folks (and see if you can get a copy of N.J.'s law as
basis -- I don't have time to pursue this but perhaps someone else here
does, or you can contact N.J. Dept of F,G,& W, Non-game Species Division
(though they are overworked) to see if you can buy a copy from them) then
see about drafting a state animal welfare pet store law for YOUR own state.
Send it to your representatives, have the others do the same, and blanket
the media with them.  In N.J. there is a law which demands reasonable pet
store conditions (though I wish it also required that those danged ceder
shavings could not be used), requires reasonable health at sale, and
requires specific actions such as paying for treatment if animals develop
certain problems within a given space of time after purchase (We did not
pursue this aspect when we used it -- just wanted the critters in the store
helped.).  We only had to use it once: on a pet store which had a parasite
problem but was not treating the animals.  They were required to treat and
place the animals in the store which they did by transferring them to their
other store (not allowed to kill them -- an important thing to include) and
they were barred from selling ANY ferrets, dogs, or cats in that branch for
something like six months, plus were inspected more often than normal
afterward.  This is DESPITE our F, G, and W (which is where we sent the
letter --don't know if it got forwarded anywhere) being so over-worked and
understaffed.  Since the ferrets were Marshalls we also let Marshalls know
and they came down on them with some requirements of their own including
larger cages than the state demanded.  Made a REAL difference for the
fuzzie's quality of life, got a manager fired, and probably got someone who
did not know who we are VERY angry with us.  (BTW, we had vet's documents to
back us up.)  Why not try to get your state to have such a law?  Then you
won't have to have your heart broken and when this happens again you can
MAKE the offender clean up his act.
 
Sukie
[Posted in FML issue 1829]