>I have got to put in my two cents about the comments regarding Dr. Kemmerer.
>First, I find it pretty offensive that people who do not know Dr. K and
>whose ferrets have never seen her would give credit to some rumored
>statement and criticize her automatically.  What business do you have??
 
While there was an initial effort to "assinate the messenger", Dr. Kemmerer
has since said, in a FML post, that she declaws ferrets and justifies it as
a last ditch effort to allow the ferret to stay in decent (?) home.
 
A few weeks back a poster mentioned a ferret that had been "taken in" with
it's paws deformed from declawing.  I take that to mean that this ferret,
after having it's toes cut off, still didn't satisfy it's owner's concept
of a perfect pet.  I hope it's now finally in a home where someone will
love it.
 
In a post a few days ago:
>I don't know Dr. Kemmerer(probably butchered her name, sorry) but in my
>opinion, unfortuantely, she's got a good point.  There are probably
>otherwise good homes who have inverterate carpet diggers who just can't
>tolerate it (they rent etc.) Do I agree with declawing?  NO.
 
But then, in the same post:
>I have a friend with a declawed rescue though who does fine.
 
Rescued from what?  Having their ferret's toes cut off wasn't enough to
satisfy the owners of it's decent home?
 
I'll just go ahead and run the risk of speaking for others by saying that
the vast majority of ferret lovers ( as well as many vets) believe that
declawing is nothing more than animal mutilation.....as is descenting,
without a valid medical reason.
 
Glenn J.
Chuki.....maybe God should have given us little guys fingernails.
[Posted in FML issue 2277]