My fiance is currently working at a pet store;  yesterday, a man came
in who said he was a wildlife rehabilitator, as well as a ferret-owner.  He and
Dave started talking, and the man mentioned that he gives vaccinations himself.
So Dave warned him about making sure he did so when there were vets available,
since ferrets seem to have some likelihood of having occaisonal reactions...
The man responded: ferrets don't need any shots...
Dave: Actually, they need to have canine distemper shots... (etc.)
The man: Its really not a big deal.
Dave:  Well, it is...  They are susceptible to distemper, and its fatal.
The man:  Well, my guys are never around dogs.
Dave:  Well, that doesn't really matter.... they don't need to actually meet a
dog to get it;  distemper can be carried to them by you, or they could get it
from their walks [the man takes them on walks around the neighborhood].
The man:  It's not a big deal.  I watch them pretty closely.
Dave:  There isn't any cure; watching for symptoms isn't enough, since once you
see any it's too late...
The man:  It's not a big deal...
 
Basically, the guy *completely* blew Dave off.  The thing is, he's a wildlife
rehabilitator - he obviously works with a *lot* of animals, besides his pets,
and should *know* enough to find out what his animals need...  It's very
depressing that someone who can't even take care of his own pets is the type of
person who's supposed to take care of other animals...  I don't even know what
else we could have done....
 
 
-Rochelle
 
[Posted in FML issue 0887]