CLIFFNotes

Asking Governor Schwarzenegger for a little Holiday cheer in this dismal season of bad economic news might be what it takes to nudge him to do the right thing for Domestic Ferrets. You don't have to be a poet to write - just let your wishes known.

In putting my letter together I discovered something - how much money our nearly bankrupt state loses every year from lost sales tax revenue. I came up with this Excel Spreadsheet:

Which shows the ferret ban in California costs our state between $693,281 and $2,773,125 each year. This does not include the cost of enforcement (even lax enforcement).

After many months of waiting, one of Orange County's favorite veterinarians has built and opened a new vet hospital. - Dr. Tom Greek, MS, DVM is now open for business in Yorba Linda, CA. Dr. Greek is recommended by Orange County Ferrets and the new hospital caters to exotic animals with the safety of you and your pet in mind.

Greek & Associates Veterinary Hospital
23687 Via Del Rio
Yorba Linda, CA 92887
714 / 463-1190

If you are looking for a qualified ferret vet outside the Orange County are, please make sure to do your own research for the very best care available for your ferret. More information on Tom's new practice can be found on Dr. Greek's website at http://www.tomgreek.com

Update on Ag Checkpoints

I especially enjoy the comments. Be careful bringing your ferrets in to California - and don't annoy the attendants playing solitaire or shopping on EBay!

Another Opinion On Gracie's Medical Condition

With all due respect to Dr. Jordan, hind limb paralysis is a common non-specific sign of weakness in ferrets. It is seen most commonly in cases of insulinoma but may be see with a wide variety of other problems. Ferrets with this symptom often present for back injury and are diagnosed as back injuries by veterinarians inexperienced with ferrets.

As highly evolved carnivores, ferrets have very specific nutritional needs, requiring a diet higher in fats and proteins than cats (much more than dogs) and quickly develop nutritional deficiencies. Diets designed for dogs, and even cats are not adequate for our ferret wards.

Thanks,

Dr. J
Jeffrey R. Jenkins, DVM
Diplomate, ABVP (Avian)
Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital
San Diego, CA
619 260-1412
URL: http:\www.drexotic.com

Gracie, almost 3, shows signs of adrenal disease (loss of hair, brittle hair). Anyway, the problem is her lack of using her hind legs. Her hind legs are very lazy, when she runs there is more of a waddle then normal and she keeps her legs straight. Occasionally, they will give out while walking and her back half will just roll over. Climbing into boxes, she mostly uses the front legs to pull up, there is barely any movement to jump or push from the hind legs then drags them over the top to get into the box. She is not as active as I think she should be. Eats and drinks plenty. So my question is, has anyone else seen this? And what did they do?

News We Hate To Get - But There is a Lesson

I'm sorry to report that my 3 and a half year old ferret Salazar passed away suddenly this morning. He seemed completely healthy Wednesday night, running and playing as usual. Even earlier Thursday afternoon I saw him munching away on his food looking perfectly normal. But around 5:30pm yesterday, I found him lying listlessly on one of the platforms in his cage.

Being that my "local" (i.e. only 45 minutes away) ferret vet's office closed at 5:30pm and none of the vets around here would treat ferrets, I decided I would take him first thing in the morning (the office opens at 8:10am). It was a long night. Between hopping up to check on him every time I heard an unusual noise, I did manage to get a couple hours of sleep.. When I got up at 7:50am I found him on the floor in his cage unable to move and with very labored breathing. By 8 he was gone.

I am very sorry to hear about your loss - I know it is devastating. The lesson learned here is we should always have the phone number of the closest emergency vet that sees ferrets. Ask your regular ferret vet what you should do after hours. Most ferret vets are associated with an emergency hospital and on call for these kinds of things. Don't wait until an emergency happens!

Make Em Legal Sweatshirts

Please let FA folks know that if they are interested in having sweatshirts made up like my orange “Make ’Em Legal” in the pictures I sent, have them contact me at kjpandak@gmail.com or they can phone me at (760) 252-2529. I’ll need to locate a source for either heavy, orange sweatshirt fabric, or the premade, blank sweatshirts in orange. Once a source is located, I can then order in bulk and be able to estimate a price for each shirt. Can’t you just imagine a bunch of us showing up in Sacramento wearing these ? Sorry I was unable to make it to the revival on October 11th; my plans fell through . Thanks, Kathy J, Zonie and Sterling

2 Bay Area Ferrets Need New Home

We really need to find a new home for our two younger ferrets. They are both extremely healthy and playful. Both are males. One is a little over 2 years old and the other a little over 1. Due to job changes we've become increasingly busy and recently had to move into an apartment complex that does not allow any type of animals. We also are allergic to them which for myself has become even worse lately, so I play with them and then am covered in hives and sneezing for hours after playtime. I just think for everyone's best interest, they would be better off in a new home. Before it becomes an issue (if we were to be found out) we'd really like to rehome them. I will NOT list them on craigslist though in fear of them going to someone with no ferret experience. We are located in the San Francisco Bay area (Mountain View) and there would be no adoption fee, just the assurance they're going to a great home and preferably to someone that has experience with ferrets. Would you be able to put their adoption information in cliffnotes for me? If you do not like posting these situations I understand, I just thought it would be a safer way of hopefully finding them a new home. Or if you know of someone that is looking for ferrets that would be great.
Thank you,

Lauren

In Conclusion -

If you have people coming and going on Thanksgiving, keep an eye on the ferrets so they don't get out.

My thanks to everyone who donated and brought our bank account back into positive territory. Next goal is to get that "Ferrets are more Fun" merchandise done!

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