[log in to unmask] said:
> ... Ferret HQ (under the dresser) .... I exhumed: ...4 all-Zone tickets
>for the Portland Oregon metro light rail (!!)[,] 1 passport (!!!)
 
These days I only grumble and crawl under the bed when my wallet, credit
cards, driver's license, etc.  come up missing, but this reminds me of our
first ferret klepto who had in his stash (after only a week) a $20 bill and
a 10 pack of subway tokens.  Might have only been a coincidence, but I kept
a VERY close eye on him after that <VBG>.
 
[log in to unmask] said:
>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 ....
 
I am glad that your experience with AMC a dozen years ago was excellent.
Perhaps things have changed.  My experiences with AMC have been more recent
and far less satisfactory.  Except for one owner (whose ferrets' care I
have recently assumed due to his illness, but whose records will not be
released to me without a death certificate!), other NYC ferret owners that
I have spoken to (or corresponded with via email) do not use AMC even in
the direst of emergencies.  Expense (yes, they are expensive) has never
been cited as the concern by any of us.  The only ferret rescue that I know
of in the 5 boroughs does not use AMC.  Unsatisfactory medical care, lost
medical records (but, interestingly, not the billing capability), and
repeatedly the staff response, "I'm sorry, there's nothing else I'm allowed
to do until the vets come in at 9:30 am!" in a supposedly 24 hour emergency
room -- these are just a few of the reasons I do not use AMC.
 
[Moderator's note: Vets are indeed there around the clock -- I've been
there in the middle of the night on many occasions and on BOTH sides of
the doors and the place is indeed hopping at 3am.  My *own* opinion is
that the vets there are great but the place is an administrative nightmare.
I have other much stronger opinions too, pro and con.  Yes, I would take my
animals there, but there are lots of things to consider... BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 2560]