Hackinsack, N.J.  might have an archaic FFZ law which is NOW being enforced.
Got a call from Diane Rogers of the AFA and shortly afterward the young man
involved called both Anne Ryan and me.  Seems his landlord complained to
the city health dept. that a tenant had a wild animal and they want to
confiscate the ferret.  You don't want to lose a ferret there or near there!
The young man has already been to court once.  I have a phone appt. this
afternoon with someone at the health dept. to see if it's an actual law, or
if it's a regulation.  If a regulation we need to know whose regulation and
how to go about changing it by presenting current information.  If a local
law then folks in Hackinsack have to work to change this; they'll probably
have to work even if it's just a regulation.  Be polite, be informative, get
copies of the 1998 Compendium by sending self-addressed, stamped envelopes
(Think it would be two or three stamps probably) to STAR Ferrets, P.O. Box
1714, Springfield, VA 22151-0714 then copy them and get them WITH polite
LETTERS to your local politicians, health dept., and animal control dept.
If you feel you must, then do so anonymously while letting them know you
live in their city.  Meanwhile, our State Health Vets are talking with the
locals and the young man is finding someone at F&G who can.  NJ F&G has a
history of being helpful while we were making the state increasingly
ferret-friendly.  Between the young man involved, Anne, the AFA folks
(including Diane), me, and the state dept.s we'll do what we can but if
political types know that ferrets are treasured by logical locals who vote
that's going to have great aspects we can't acheive.
 
Arrrrggghhhhh! It was just my phone appt time (3:45) and he's not back from
his meeting, plus he's due to leave for week's vacation in fifteen minutes.
Waited 5 minutes and he's still not there.  This may have to wait a week If
I don't get lucky.
 
Okay, I got through.  The problem is with the wording of the DEP F&G section
on "wild and undomesticated animals" from 1995 (nothing more recent received
in Hackinsack since then) sections 7:25-4.2 and 7:25-4.6A.  In their city
regulation they need to have a DEP mention that ferrets are safe for a
residential area or are domesticated, plus they need the young man to get a
permit.  I have his Fax number in case we can get him something from them
before the next court date in two weeks.  If that can be done and the young
man sends in the check for his permit the case will be dropped.
 
Diane Rogers has a ferret with something we haven't heard of before in a
ferret: aortic regurgitation -- the blood backwashes in that artery.  They
are trying Digoxin and Enacard and trying to adjust the dosing.  Anyone run
into this?
 
Spot actually acts better than he did the week before his stroke.  It looks
like the likely scenario is that he had sepsis from the anemia which in turn
results from this chronic infection of unknown cause which he is fighting,
and that the sepsis caused the stroke to happen.  In at home pinch testing
today he's lost both reflex and sensory below the ankle on the R rear leg,
has lost sensory up to the knee, but he can walk -- albeit a bit more slowly
and less steadily.  He was just playing a little while ago -- just after
having had a stroke on Monday!!!!  When he goes over he looks so surprised
since he can't feel the leg much, but then he just gets up and asks for a
treat!!!!!  "I fell!  Spoil me!!!!!" We are trying sequential antibiotic
cocktails trying to destroy whatever is causing this infection.  His
twitches have stopped, BTW, and his nausea ( as per grinding) is lower than
pre-stroke (which may have comtributed to it) and goes away fast if he is
held with his head up and his rear down (like with a person with hiatal
hernia Wish us luck, okay?
 
Hanan (our vet) described 'Chopper as looking like a big strawberry when she
climbs -- yes, this ferret in the last stages of hypertrophic cardimyopathy
and with a perpetual big belly now from ascites (and probable recent
adrenal) actually climbs a few times each day still.  Granted most of the
time she's either eating, drinking, taking her meds, kissing, going to the
bathroom, sleeping, or demanding cuddles, but she still also climbs, walks,
visits the others, and cuddles -- oh, and likes being a bed guest.
 
Sukie
[Posted in FML issue 2394]