>From:    Robb Fisher <[log in to unmask]>
>Despite Dr Otten's recommendation, I don't (and wouldn't) take my animals
>to AMC in New York City.
 
Why?  Kathy Quesenberry and the others there are excellent!  We've often
used them for consultations, and before we had specialists here we went
into the AMC for Helix's juvenile lympho which must have been something
like a dozen years ago.  Know there are others here who have used them,
too, with fine results.  We give them donations every year, too.  They are
expensive, partly from location, partly because they also do
veterinary-care-improvement research to help critters, and partly because
they provide some free services including those any seeing eye dogs.  (Of
course, we were very careful to hide Helix because of NYC's ban until we
were in the AMC itself, but from what I've read the health dept.  there has
mostly backed off on creating trouble recently except in very noticeable
cases, though someone here said that they HAD tried to get the ASPCA to
turn over any exotics when that building last year was closed down due a
neighboring one being unstable and the ASPCA fortunately stuck by the
animals.  NOT a surprise: Roger Caras, president of the ASPCA has been
saying for ages that ferrets are domesticated pets.)
[Posted in FML issue 2559]