>From: "marie i. schatz" <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Web site and Presentation >My ferret presentation went pretty well I think - at least I got "the word >out".... Now that I'm home I have remembered two things so far I didn't hit >on - fleas and heartworms. Sounds like you did good. Eh, so you forgot heartworm and flea control. A presentation that included everything would take... >I covered Order, Genus, Species, i.e. DOMESTIC animal and where they fit in I had all sorts of trouble with the Linnaen stuff at first. A little mnemonic help: King Phillip Came Over For Good Sauce. King = Kingdom = Fauna Phillip = Phylum = Chordata, sub-phylum Vertebrata Came = Class = Mammalia Over = Order = Carnivora For = Family = Weasel, sub-family Mustelidae Good Sauce = Genus Species = Putorius Furo (binomial nomenclature) Anyway, it worked for this biologically challenged ferret owner, and if I can remember it, anyone can. >ALSO - called the Michigan Dept of Agriculture and got the numbers for >ferret rabies testing: 1994: 7 (not legal then) 1995: 91 1996: 114 >No positives. I see a very sad trend here. And a tough one to buck. In your presentation, you might also warn potential ferret buyers that if Slinky bites someone, and that someone complains, then Slinky is a goner. In most areas, the only two things that *might* save your ferret's skin is if he's chipped AND has an impeccable, documented record of yearly inoculations of Imrab-3 by a licensed DVM. To further complicate the matter, the first inoculation only confers ~90% chance of protection, with the efficacy going up with each yearly booster (thanks, JJ). By the second booster (third shot) you're up around 100%, so PH might listen to you, but by now the ferret is 2 1/4 years old. There are a few pockets of tolerance, but don't count on clemency from local health officials outside of them. As a general rule, if someone gripes that your ferret nipped then your ferret is dead. Oh well, enough finger-waggin'. As people are wont to say ... <<sigh>>. swamp "Who, me officer? What's a ferut? These guys?? No, they're Polish cats." [Posted in FML issue 1824]