Yesterday. Linda wrote: >Please contact Dr. Chester Gipson, 301-734-4980, >[log in to unmask], and let him know that the public has >asked the USDA to address the very specific needs of the ferret, not >just to continue to lump them in with "warmblooded animals other than >dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, nonhuman primates, and >marine mammals". and she is right, as are Wendy and all of the others who have been pointing out how important it is to NOT let ferrets be short-changed. In addition to the essential things already mentioned I think that it also might pay to politely remind Dr. Gipson that ferret people are persistent. After all, to prevent the needless deaths of ferrets there was ten years of work put into first finding which vaccine would work for long enough, then making sure that enough hard data on ferrets and rabies was gathered by the CDC and its university partners on rabies in ferrets for it to be known for a fact that the same regulations which are used for cats and dogs could be as safely applied to ferrets. That resulted in the National Association of State Public Health Vets improving the Compendium for Animal Rabies Prevention and Control. We don't go away; we just keep working. So, if the try for ferret-specific standards wound up derailed we'd just be back again and not only would we have to redo work we'd already done but APHIS would have to redo work it has done. Did you know that several years back, according to Ken Wells of the Wall Street Journal ferrets comprised at least 2 Billion (not million) $ annually of a total $32 Billion spent on pets and their care in the U.S. Two Billion Dollars is not not chump change. People are putting their money where their mouths are. It says that there are many ferrets out there and most are getting care. Those associated with hit movies which make up a far smaller portion of the national economy are taken seriously, so... If you haven't written yet do it this week! WRITE IT IN EVERY CALENDAR YOU HAVE IF YOU CAN'T DO IT RIGHT NOW. That way we will have a surge of polite letters to him in the final days before their essential meeting reminding him and those with whom he works that FERRETS NEED FERRET SPECIFIC STANDARDS. They NEED an 8 WEEK MINIMUM SHIPPING and SALES AGE *PROVEN BY THE CONICAL ADULT CANINES REPLACING THE NEEDLELIKE BABY ONES* not just by papers. They NEED careful temperature control and enough food and water replacement during shipping. They NEED so much more. APHIS has been provided with data and references on the things which need their consideration. Every once in a while we each have the privilege to undertake a task which uses only a few minutes of time, yet when taken together with the words of others who are also writing, helps make real improvement possible. Please, write now. It is your opportunity. -- Sukie (not a vet, and not speaking for any of the below in my private posts) Recommended health resources to help ferrets and the people who love them: Ferret Health List http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth FHL Archives http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ AFIP Ferret Pathology http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html Miamiferrets http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/ International Ferret Congress Critical References http://www.ferretcongress.org [Posted in FML issue 5329]