When I was in my 20s and first developed a number of allergies beyond the
two I'd had since childhood I first had an anaphylactic reaction that
drove Steve and I from a dinner party early and almost killed me (in my
case to two foods served), then a few months afterward I began allergic
rhinitis, with asthma joining in about a year later after a bout of
atypical pneumonia and pleurosy.  The later additions were not caused in
any way by the first reaction; the first reaction was just the herald that
my body was having its immune system begin to over-react to some things,
mistaking them for invaders as happens with allergies, and my immune
system just broadened its scope in that regard.  If allergies, it can
be hard to find what the cause is: could be any number of things and
especially ones to which the individual has had a long history of
exposure.  Allergen lists change for an individual over time, so don't be
surprised if there wind up being additions to the list over the years.
If it's mild then at least there is no rush; someday you will notice a
pattern and try eliminating something and that will work.  Meanwhile,
though, in case there is a problem other than mild allergies the vet
exams make complete sense.
 
Broken hip: the folks at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list may prove helpful
for you, also those at http://www.doggon.com.  While at the FHL (or
using the FML archives as per the instructions in the FML header)
look up how to make a pantyhose sling in posts # 8752 and 8702, and
discuss that with your vets.
 
Holiday hazards article by a vet:
http://www.ferretsanonymous.com/medical/bdl_holiday.html
 
Here are main U.S. resources:
http://guide.labanimal.com/product/category1.html .
For ferrets it lists and gives addies and links for MF and for Triple F.
The latter is mentioned in relation to ferrets, dogs, and cats.  MF is
mentioned for dogs and ferrets but their webpage has a mention of cats
at one point.
 
Yes, this is a concern, but it's a tricky call.  The horror-story research
projects make the headlines and folks tend to think that most research is
like that, which is like the misconceptions that rage when the rare biting
ferret makes the headlines.  Suddenly some folks think that ferrets are
baby-eaters and want to ban them.  Much research is quite benign and the
animals treated well, but some is not, from my observations in college.
Of course, it may be different in other settings, but it's a good sign
that at least some of the ferrets used to develop influenza vaccines or
used to teach how to intubate an infant or a premmie have been adopted
out to loving homes.  That is a trend I'd like to see continue.
 
Some which is not benign as experiments later saves many lives -- four or
two footed.
 
In the 1970s a group of primatologists tried to get together a resource
which would help with the sharing of research animals (which does happen
but could be increased) as a move to decrease the total number of animals
used in research.  At the time it wasn't feasible, but with use of the
Internet it may now be a do-able project as a way to decrease the total.
 
There is also a non-MF farm that had recently been selling fur from
ferrets -- according to what another non-MF farm told me about this
competitor (NOT verified so don't know, though I do know that at one point
it was partly a fur farm.), and have heard of some smaller ferret farms
doing that but have not verified.  There is also yet another farm from
which we brought two ferrets home with one quick peek at them by vet and
had the entire household break with ECE.  That was around 4 and 1/2 years
ago.  There wound up being a series of people who said the same thing
about ferrets they had picked up there or had sent directly from the farm,
but I haven't heard any such reports in a while now, so they might have
shut down breeding and sales long enough to let the disease pass beyond
the contagious stage at their facility -- don't know.  Our case may have
been picked up at the vet's but since others had it happen around the same
time I have to wonder rather than conclude.  It seems to me that there
are a lot of unsubstantiated rumors out there and I think that readers
should be careful to note:
1. what is not verified,
2. what is said by competitors,
3. what is said by a source that may have an interest in being less than
   forthright (like some stores and some distributors),
4. what may have changed over time,
5. etc.  :-)
[Posted in FML issue 3629]