The ASPCA Animal Poisoning Control Center has several papers on
avoiding and dealing with toxic situations for ferrets.
For a while it had to stop actively tracking what was reported in the
poisoning calls for ferrets that it got. Why? Because too few people
donated for that function, and because too few people whose ferrets
are poisoned actually use Poison Control to try to save their ferrets.
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc
The ASPCA depends on people's participation. If ferret people don't
show enough constructive interest then it suspects that ferret people
are not interested in ferrets.
One of the people who tried to get the NY (City, not State) ban on
ferrets removed and who provided info to help those in California was
Roger Karas, the late president of the ASPCA who passed away maybe a
decade ago. Really KIND soul, too. He was himself mainly a dog person
but he knew and greatly liked ferrets.
Now THAT might point the way to getting the ASPCA to take ferrets more
seriously: if ferret people began donating in a chunk with all saying
that they are donating in honor of Roger Karas' appreciation of
domestic ferrets.
BTW, after 9/11 I was one of those who worked with the NYC ASPCA to
find homes for any ferrets (and actually some other types of animals,
too) which needed removal from the affected area. Finding the people in
this general region happened through the FML. It all worked out well
because the total number of animals was manageable for them and didn't
involve ferrets, but they did coordinate on that regard.
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/http://ferrethealth.org/archive/http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.htmlhttp://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/http://www.ferretcongress.org/http://www.trifl.org/index.shtmlhttp://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
[Posted in FML 6088]
