I have to write my letter to the USDA today to say that Steve and I
support improved regulations for the ferret farms and those who sell
ferrets wholesale, the distributors, and the transport they use.  I'll
send it in with a copy of the FML post so that they know what I mean.
 
Everyone who has ever had a gripe about ferrets who died in airports,
or arrived too young or ill at pet stores, or had prolapses in the
petstores, or...: this is your chance to actually make a difference by
letting the USDA know that team of vets is actually tackling an issue
which is close to your heart.  If you have a story to go with it then let
them know, because I think that way too many of us HAVE seen kits too
young to eat hard food, kits who were too small to compete for food, kits
who had shavings or bedding stuck to painful prolapses and whose thinness
was obvious once they were picked up, kits who left their moms too early
to be socialized properly, and more.  YOUR LETTERS sent now to those
people HAVE POWER if we can enough of them arriving there!
 
(If you missed the posts about this send a mail to
[log in to unmask]  with the message SEND FERRET 4456 to get
Friday's FML.
 
or  go to
 
http://www.smartgroups.com/message/readmessage.cfm?
gid=1423922&messageid=8307&startid=8311
 
 -----
 
Lisette, too many OTCs have ingredients that can cause liver damage or
death, so avoid them.  With an allergy certainly plain(no other meds
added) juvenile Benedryl elixir will help, and there are other things
vets have mentioned, but things like acetominaphen (which I am sure I
spelled wrong off the cuff) kill ferrets.  A look through the archives
(FML and FHL) will help.
 
BTW, anyone who needs to find the archive addies fast can find them in
the crit. ref.s at
http://www.ferretcongress.org
 
Protracted, unusual, or strong coughing is a sign which calls for a rapid
vet appointment and usually also for a chest x-ray.
[Posted in FML issue 4457]