On Fri afternoon, my neighbor brought me over her paper (the Minneapolis
Star Tribune) and said to read the article on ferrets.  I thought I'd tell
you guys about it for the heck of it.  The headline is "Fans of furry little
pets ferret out an apology- 'rabid' comment was biting to some aficionados,
but no harm was intended" It's the "backfence" section, written by James
Lileks.  Here is a summary:
 
"It's National Apologize to Ferrets Day, since he used the phrase "rabid
ferret" in a column.  Well, he got a lot of nasty messages from several
ferret owners who thought he was spreading antiferret propaganda just by
using "ferret" and "rabid" in the same sentence.  No such slur was intended.
He said that he doesn't judge other people's choice in pets, except for
giant snakes.  The only good thing that can be said about a giant snake is
that it DOESN'T come when you call.
 
This overdue apology was prompted by him seeing a MODERN FERRET magazine in
a magazine store.  He went on to say some snide remarks that he was afraid
to pick up the magazine, "lest I read about the new X-2034QZ Ferret with
optimized olfactory circuits and upgradable optical processors".  He also
commented that ferrets might be "bent on world domination" or something like
that.
 
You can see the article yourself at:
http://webserv1.startribune.com/cgi-bin/stOnLine/ folder?FOLDER_ID=804
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On another note: my Katie had exploratory surgery yesterday.  The vet found
some nodules on her pancreas and said that a section of her stomach was
elongated.  He added that there was still food in her stomach during the
surgery (although she hadn't eaten for about 6 hours)--so he thinks that her
stomach might not be emptying.  He took biopsies, so I just have to sit
tight and wait for the results.
 
She's been eating tiny bits of food every 2-3 hours since I brought her
home.  She's been having black stools, so I called the vet Fri afternoon and
they prescribed Biaxin and Amoxicillin (for 2 weeks)to try to kill off the
heliobacteria.  They also suggested a tad bit of Maalox every 6 hours to try
to settle her stomach.  Hopefully I can get thru the weekend, with her
eating at least some food.
 
Lori, Jeff
Katie (momma my tummy hurts)
Kaylin (hey, why can't I see my sister)
[Posted in FML issue 2147]