Bill wrote:
>Since the Petcos here in Virginia get their ferrets from various sources
>even when they are mere miles apart.  And since New Jersey is another
>place with a problem of fraudulent sales of ferrets with faked Marshall
>guarantees.  And since a friend of ours who used to be in the business of
>putting ferrets into pet stores was given Marshall paperwork when he pulled
>those ferrets out of some stores we do not find your evidence compelling.
>But none of this is new information.
 
Yes, that is correct.  The problem of pet stores attaching warranties
to ferrets which are NOT from that ferret farm or breeder has happened
WIDELY -- actually in MANY states and to moderate sized breeders as well
as to larger ones.  Marshall Farms is one of the places to which it has
happened but it certainly is not alone, and in their case there have even
been totally faked warranties (pet store produced) uncovered, too, not
just misapplied ones.  This has been discussed many times in the FML and
elsewhere.  Folks who are interested will want to check the FML archives.
It's all in there.
 
Mixed-lots from distributors or in pet stores pose several problems.  Not
only are the ferrets possibly from sources other than the one claimed,
but they run the risk of being exposed to diseases present from other
sources -- either in the ferrets themselves or left behind in the
facilities.  Was it last year that one distributor had a CDV problem this
way?  Have also heard of parasite problems and ECE spread this way.  It
is NOT a good practise.
 
Are there problems that originate at breeders?  Sure.  Of course.  Just
be careful to know who the breeder is, and to separate such concerns from
those which are normal to ferrets in general, those caused by distributors,
those caused by pet stores, those caused by intermediate homes, those
caused by the current need for more veterinary research to improve ferret
medical care, etc.  All too often the source is turned into a scapegoat
and that doesn't do anything to improve the state of knowledge or to
improve conditions for any ferrets.
[Posted in FML issue 3442]