I'mmmmmm Backkkk!  Drove my baby home, a powder-blue TR-4 convertable I've
been restoring for the last decade or so.  It was stored in my Dad's barn,
then in a brother's garage.  But I just had to have it back.  It's a real
ragtop (literally), but duct tape helped get it past the El Nino storms.
I'll fix that and the heater (!!!!) at the same time.  I-80 was closed, so I
spent four hours on the grapevine waiting the CHP to escourt us over.  Worse
places coming home, tons of snow and sleet, but no escourts.  For most cars,
it would have been tough, but the TR's suspension is a little on the tight
side, so every pebble feels like a brick.  But I'm home now, safe and sound
and finally warm.  Tomorrow I may stand straight.
 
The mail box is a disaster.  More than 500 messages and as I was sorting
some of them (I can't *send* email unless I have space to write the
"sent-mail" message) and deleting the spam, messages started coming through
saying stuff was bouncing.  Sorry.
 
I've been getting a lot of messages asking my opinion on some of the newest
ferret books coming out.  For personal reasons (As I've stated before) I
have declined to comment on ferret books.  However, I am more than happy to
comment on veterinary guides, general pet books, etc.  If you have a
favorite one, or are thinking of buying one, just ask, I'll get a copy,
review it and post it here.
 
****
 
Chris C.  Pinney 1992 "The Illustrated Veterinary Guide for Dogs, Cats,
Birds, & Exotic Pets." McGraw Hill; New York.  i-xxiv, 711 pp., illustrated,
appendix, index.  $21.95.  ISBN 0-07-050179-3 (Softcover).
 
The problem with any veterinary book is the audience.  For a book to be
published, it must first be capable of making a profit, which means it takes
a certain number of people in the projected market for some books to be
published.  Layman-use veterinary books are *no* exception; hince the large
number of books for dogs, cats, and horses, but fewer for birds, and hardly
any for herps and ferrets.  Usually, layman-use vet books discuss dogs and
cats, then throw in the other "exotics" as a chapter or two.
 
This almost always leaves the ferret owner feeling like they were the last
person at the buffet, which for the most part is true.  You get the same
feeling from Pinney's book, but perhaps the gleanings aren't as scant.
 
First off, ferrets are mustelids are carnivores are mammals.  Each type of
carnivore has co-evolved with certain prey animals, which has influenced the
body morphology and some aspects of physiology.  Domestic animals have
evolved from wild stock by the human hand, and can be morphologicaly and
physiologically quite different from their wild kin.  HOWEVER, even with all
these changes, the basic mammalian physiology, anatomy and morphology is so
similar that what is true for one is true for all, and you only have to
worry about the exceptions.  This is especially true with carnivores, and
even truer within the strict carnivores like cats and ferrets.  Thus, any
good cat layman-use vet manual would be useful for ferrets.
 
Pinney's work is quite good for dogs and cats, including a discussion of
anatomy and physiology for each of the two carnivores.  This knowledge can
be adapted to ferret use quite well.  The book invests 477 pages on dogs and
cats, 75 pages on birds, 31 pages on small mammals (including 6 on the
ferret), 6 pages on reptiles, 11 pages on fish, and the rest on dog/cat
issues like age and cancer.  The chapter on euthanasia is well done.  The
book also includes a very nice appendix on first aid for dogs and cats, much
applicable to ferrets.  The material on ferrets (one chapter, 6 pages, but
only 5 if you subtract the illustration, which looks more like a rat than a
ferret to me) is lacking however, and leaves something to be desired.  For
example, Table 48-1 (p.  583) lists common ailments but never mentions ECE
or adrenal diseases.  The ECE thing I understand, but adrenal problems were
quite common prior to the 1992 publication date.  I hope Pinney updates this
book and expands the section of ferrets commensurate with their popularity.
 
If you have a multi-species household including birds, dogs, cats, ferrets,
etc., this is a good book at a comfortable price.  It is much easier to read
than more professionally-oriented vet guides, and the first-aid section is
well done.  If science confuses you, or your medical terminology is wanting,
then this would be a good introductory book for carnivores in general.  If
you have lots of different pets and can only afford a single book, then I
recommend this one.  But be aware it is mostly a dog/cat book, and the
ferret section is wanting.  On the Bob Scale of useful books, it rates BBBb
out of 5, but for ferrets, it only rates a BB.  Look through it first, maybe
borrow a copy, *then* decide if you want to spend the bucks or go buy yet
another toy.
 
Bob C and the 20 MO Carpet Monkees, singing "Take the Last Bite to Bobsville"
[Posted in FML issue 2150]