My name is Lisa and I am new to the FML and I would just like to send out a
few replies.  I would like to say that I feel deeply for Kodo and his family
and I am so glad that ya'll are making a stand, because here in Louisiana
our little friends are taken away and destroyed.  I work at a vet's office
and one of our clients had a ferret that he was playing with outside and a
neighbor walked over and the ferret ran up to him, nipped him on the ankle
and ran off(I imagine he wanted the man to chase him).  In any case, the man
called the animal control office and they were there in a matter of minutes
and whisked the ferret away.  The ferret had it's rabies shot and was only
outside while supervised by the owner, but that did not matter to the animal
control people.  They told the owner that the ferret would have to be
destroyed no matter what!  Now, I can't count on both hands how many dogs
have come through our clinic that we have had to quarantine for 10 days
because they bit someone and the OWNERS were negligant in keeping up with
their vaccinations and LETTING THEM RUN RAMPANT THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD
WHEN WE DO HAVE A LEASH LAW!  But what happens to them , they pay twenty
dollars for their shot and their off and running, while we ferret owners
have to hide our pets inside in fear that our own friends or neighbors may
turn us in if something like this should happen AND if it should, no one is
willing to hear our plea for our pet that is just as special as a cat or
dog.  Don't get me wrong, I love cats and dogs, my menagerie consists of 1
dog, 2 cats and 7 FERRETS and I LOVE THEM ALL!!!!!!!
 
Someone needs to wake up !!!!!!  Now on to my next reply to Bobby concerning
adrenal disease.  I have had the joy of going through this with two of my
ferrets.  I too thought , at first, that it was seasonal shedding and admit
that I let it go on for a little to long on the first ferret, the second one
was taken care of right when I began to notice the hair falling out on the
tail.  Luckily my vet , who does not know much about ferrets, agreed to
perform the surgery after reading the book Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents,
Clinical Medicine and Surgery by Hillyer and Quesenberry, which, by the way
is a great book and I advise that everyone get this book if they can.  I
suggest that you take your ferret to a vet as soon as possible so that you
can catch it early.  Finally, I would like to express my sympathy to
everyone who has lost a ferret for I too have lost three in the last four
years but I know that they are safe across that rainbow bridge where no one
can hurt them and there will always be an endless supply of socks and all of
the other things that they love, FOREVER!
 
Thanks to all of you, I am really enjoying the list
 
Lisa and all the ferrets: Odie, Goo, Atimer, Renfield, Mowgli(aka PooPoo),
Sprocket and Otis.  Also, in loving memory of Figaro, Emm and Sebastian.
[Posted in FML issue 1928]