My thanks to all who have written kindly concerning Petco and pine shavings.
1. I want to thank our most special Lynn Siegel for her idea on the
shavings as far as notifying Marshall Farms.  Does anyone on this list work
there or know how to reach the appropriate people to ask if they use pine
shavings and to ask them to let stores know the best bedding to use??
 
2. I want to thank Mustang Charlie for the way in which he disagreed on
the usage of pine bedding.  There was no ugly emotional wording.  Thank
you for your good manners MC.
 
3. I want to thank the two people who wrote that they went to the Petco
store.  Apparently there are already 2 ferrets in the back who are sick
and the bedding was not changed as of Sunday.[?]
 
4. I have written to the Petco main headquarters but the letter will not
get there until Tues. or Wed. at the earliest.  There is no 1-800 phone
number for Petco I could find for headquarters.  And the manager would not
give me his last initial let alone his supervisors name.
 
***** Mustang Charlie:I do not know why ferrets would be different from
rats as far as pine shavings.  I can guess that because they are neutered
way too early by Marshall Farms, it might affect their immune system and
make them more susceptible than rats to chronic lung disease.  Or maybe
it is in the genes or previous environment, and some ferrets are more
resistent to cedar and pine bedding.[?]
 
I do know that the vets who saw Chewy told me the problem was most likely
from the pine bedding based on what they are seeing in other ferrets at
their offices, and the damage is permanent in Chewys' little lungs based
on his x-rays.
 
Again, thanks to those of you who had different ideas written kindly for
your good manners!!!!
 
Hopefully, someone will bring home the ferrets from Petco, and spend the
hundreds of dollars I did on Chewy if the damage is irreversible.
 
Lisette
[Posted in FML issue 2846]