>Uh, are you a Dr., or a Vet?  should be... much more knowledgeable than
>most!
 
Okay, I am blushing!
 
No, I'm not.  My education level is actually about the same as some other
very verbose FML members.  I have a bachelors (most of my classes were
in biology, geology and anthropology), and I have some graduate credits,
mostly in anatomy and primatology/physical anthropology and taught
through the anatomy department.  I also worked for the geology department
for a while, helped on a free-lance basis with a comparative study of
primate skulls doing measurements for a project at one of the Ivy League
universities, worked for the anatomy department at SUNY SB for something
like 4 and half years and participated in some fossil digs, a study of
Pithecia locomotion (both in the jungles of Suriname and in a lab
setting), and I worked pretty extensively with some apes and some new
world monkeys in lab settings, and a little less with some prosimians.
My plans had been to study macroevolutionary questions working from
primates mostly, and to teach anatomy (which is quite common for
primatologists to do).  I was already partly through the work for my
dissertation and on tearing it apart as much as possible with profs and
some researchers to get it as strong and complete as possible (on a tail
use hypothesis that came to me after reading some canopy density work
from a comparative termite study and which about ten or so years later
later was independently reached by a Princeton graduate student who was
able to do the work).  A neuromuscular disease cut short my ability to
pursue my education 25 years ago.  It happens.  Neither working in
jungles nor working with primates is particularly great for health in
some regards, I'm afraid.  There can be surprises sometimes that can't
be explained, so if it happened due to one of those or some other cause
no one knows.
 
So, I am rusty on some things, keep up to some extent largely thanks to
buying books, using the internet, and getting a few science magazines and
journals (though cost prevents me from getting some I'd love to be able
to read), and since I have worked so often with Dr. Bruce Williams and
with some others and have read a number of vet papers and some vet texts
I have simply learned a lot about ferret health through routes anyone can
pursue.  That's one of the joys of life: learning through sharing.
 
As far as rabies goes the reason I know some about it is thanks to some
public health vets, some vets, and especially Dr. Charles Rupprecht of
the CDC who helped me get up to speed when everyone was pursuing
important questions for ferrets on that score, donating, and scaring up
funding.  Goodness only knows what the postal carriers thought of me
getting so many manila envelopes from the CDC!  LOL!
 
BTW, you have more education that I do, Michelle!  You have a masters!
You are also a sweeter person than I am to say so many kind things and
the work you do is the type which has to be filed with kindness as well
as intelligence, information, a cool head under pressure, and modesty.
 
Anyway, I might as well be frank about it once again.  I've said it
before (but still have someone who insists that i am a vet -- despite my
repeatedly saying otherwise -- and who insists that am hiding it but that
person is just plain wrong.  (Sorry.  It's true -- I'm not one.) I see no
good reason for people to not be upfront with their limitations as well
as their strengths.  It leads to greater accuracy and I think it is
simply respectful toward fellow FLMers.
 
So, always have those grains of salt handy, everyone, to take with what
you read from anyone, and always learn!
 
-- Sukie
http://media.eod.com/hhgttg_high.mov (_Hitch Hikers Guide to the
Galaxy_  DA was a dog rescuer and he also loved stories of a certain
bob-tailed ferret)
http://www.wandg.com/  (Wallace and Grommit which needs a ferret who
steals things while meaning well -- unlike a certain penguin)
http://www.fingerstothebone.com/  (Shu Ju was one of the original
FMLers)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4513343  (A must
listen for animal lovers
[Posted in FML issue 4804]