Ferrets are Not Vicious Animals!

As Iz reported on Friday there was a supposed ferret attack on a one month old child. The News stations and papers do not seem to have any more information than when they first reported the incident.

Iz did find out that the ferrets and two cats were euthanized. The article only said the ferrets were being tested for rabies. Iz can only hope that a nercrospy was performed on all the animals to see just which one had human flesh in their digestive track. There were also several other animals removed from the home. Unfortunately it is the ferrets that are the ones being blamed for the damage done to this child.

What the news reporters do not seem to understand is that it would take us ferrets a long time to do the damage the child sustained. In an interview the father stated that two of the ferrets were on the child and the third was still in the make shift cage, which again was made from cloth and was never intended to house any animal for an extended period of time. It is my opinion the ferrets were trying to comfort the child like they would do with a small kit, baby ferret, that was in distress. Again that is only MY OPINION.

Iz has the feeling that not all the facts have been discovered and unless there was a pet autopsy, Nercrospy< performed on ALL the euthanized animals wez may never know the real truth. Also living in that house were four other children under the age of five that were released into the custody of the grandparents and one article said there are criminal charges pending. Iz have to point out that this event was 100% preventable. If the parents had used a proper cage made from metal and not a cloth dog playpen, or had taken the child upstairs with them the child would not be in the ICU facing multiple surgeries to her face. The ferrets and cats would be alive and the other animals would not have been ripped from their home and the media would not have a sad story to report. But it also must be said that the living conditions were not ideal for the children or animals and both probably should have been removed or at the very least been monitored a lot closer than they were. This tragedy took place on the same day as the New York City Hearing to lift the ban on ferrets living in the city. It is our fear that those reconsidering the ban will leave it in place due to this incident and use it as the grounds for their decision when it is apparent that it was a preventable situation and that stories like this are not as prevalent as dog incidents in the news. Again leave a comment if you wish but Iz and Hooman reserve the right to delete any comment that is flaming towards other commenters or ourselves. Facts:

Ferrets ARE NOT rodents they were domesticated to hunt them and were used as rodent control until the earlier 30's in the United States

Most ferrets in the United States are fed kibble and have never tasted animal flesh but it also must be said there is a growing movement of raw fed ferrets but our stomachs are small.

Ferrets have claws like a cat and can climb.

Ferrets are curious creatures and will investigate any kind of squeaky noises.

Since the late 50's there have been less than 20 reported cases of rabies in ferrets and there are now vaccines against the disease.

Wez will continue to monitor the story and bring you the latest as wez find it out.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Manny

Ferrets in the News Again

this time it is not a happy story. It seems on the day that New York City Hygiene and Mental Health board was having a hearing on whether or not they will lift the ban on ferrets a month old girl was supposedly mauled by the families three pet ferrets.

The article is short and does not have a lot of facts to explain what happened but the one thing that is very clear is that the parents were not thinking when they strapped the little girl into her car seat and set in on the floor before going upstairs to be distracted.

Hooman has always said that ferrets and small children do not mix and like the case in Missouri we may never know the truth.

You can read the article here and draw your own thoughts but wez have some points to make.

1. Wez do not know many pet Hoomans that would leave a month old child unsupervised around their pets.

2. Said parents were not in another room but upstairs well away from the child.

3. The ferrets were not properly housed. Iz do not know what a cloth cage is.This is not a cage it is a playpen for doggies not to house ferrets

4. There is no mention of what happened to the ferrets but unfortunately our guess is that they were euthanized to be tested for rabies.

5. The couple’s other four children were put into child protective services with no explanation as to why.

 

Our fear is that this story will make New York decide not to lift the ban due to the injury to the child. We can only hope that News stories like this stay far and few between.

Please leave your thoughts but any flaming will be deleted. Wez are not blaming the child or the ferrets. The only ones truly responsible for this tragedy are the parents.

Have a chittering good day,

Manny

Lift the Ban!

New York City’s Board of Health is going to have a hearing on January 21, 2014 with regards to lifting the ban on owning ferrets in NYC.

New York City has had a ban on ferrets since 1999 when then Mayor Giuliani and a ferret enthusiast got into a heated debate on the radio. Since that time ferret owners in New York City  have been considered criminals and could have their ferret(s) confiscated if found. 

Which means that many ferret owners are taking risks every time they take their beloved fur ball to the vet where they could be turned in to the authorities or worse the vets who look the other way are not fully trained in ferret care and often charge outrageous sums for the green papers hoomans give each other.

They have already had one hearing on December 9, 2013 which opened up many of the debates that California Wildlife and Game commission has used to keep ferrets illegal in that state.

Some of those debates include that we, ferrets, enjoy gnawing on little children and news stories have shown up where we have supposedly attacked children. One in particular that happened in Missouri has never been completely substantiated one way or the other as to if that ferret did indeed do what it was accused of doing be for being murdered in a horrific way.

We don’t gnaw on children. We might lick off any food residue on their tiny hands. Or if they are infants in a car seat on the floor and they are making squeaking noises we might think they are a kit (a baby ferret) and will try to take them to where we feel they will be safe. Or we might think they are our favorite toy and try to replace it back in our hide hole.  Hooman has often over the years said that ferrets and small children do not mix.

Like most animals we can be prone to certain viruses and rabies is one of the most common viruses out there. Depending on the research there hasn’t been more than 20 cases of ferrets having rabies  since 1954 in the United States that may because there are vaccinations for rabies. Responsible hoomans take us in for yearly vaccinations.

Our hooman would not be able to travel to different places or take us to ferret shows without us being vaccinated against rabies and distemper.

As for breeding. Many of us come from large chain pet stores and we have already been fixed and have had our anal glands removed. While not having our anal glands does help lessen our signature musky smell it does not eliminated it as the musky scent comes from the oils in our skin. That smell is what puts us in the category of mustelidae.

As for getting out of a building and setting up a colony of feral ferrets seems farfetched as we don’t tend to do well in temperatures over 70 degrees and with some of the below zero temps not many would survive. But one of the possible upsides to that scenario is that New York City might not have the rat problem as we were originally domesticated to hunt rodents.

Our hooman describes us as a kitten and a two year old rolled into one and we never grow up. I guess that means we are constantly looking for new things to play with when we are not sleeping.

We can be litter trained like a cat and walk in a harness on a lead like a dog. We are inquisitive to the world around us and have a short lifespan.  Why should the New York City Board of Health deny ferret owners the right to have their pet without worry. I am sure there is a larger cat and dog population in NY then there are ferrets but until the ban is lifted no one will ever know for sure.

Maybe, just maybe if New York does lift its ban California will take notice and start working towards legalizing ferrets there.

We at Enlightened Ferret would love to have some of our New York City friends attend this hearing and if you have met us let the board of health know just how unique and well mannered we were to you and your pet as we have met many of you through Blog Paws.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Manny

Traveling With Ferrets Part 3

If you are a long term reader you know that the boys and I are getting ready for a road trip to Utah to attend the Blog Paws conference.

For those just now finding this blog check a few of the earlier posts.

What many people don’t realize is that you need to have a health
certificate for any pet traveling across state lines or around the world. These are obtained from you vet.

Many of us pet owners have a tendency to spell out going to the vet because Fido or Puss have learned that isn’t a fun place to go. I tell the boys where we are going and why. I am sure many will say that they are just animals and don’t understand. I disagree. I have found that by telling my two boys what is going on reduces the amount of stress they have.

So on Wednesday Manny and Marcuz had their vet visit with their vet Dr. DoverSpike. We had to make the appointment in May as Dr. DoverSpike is very popular and is well versed in ferret care.

Both the boys had a physical that Marcuz wasn’t overly happy with and decided he wanted to let doc know it. Marcuz took a nip at him but Dr. DoverSpike was ready for Marcuz and all that happened was a small pinch.

Manny and Marcuz also got vaccinated for rabies and distemper. Unlike dogs and cats who can get a three year rabies shot. Ferrets should be vaccinated every year.

Ferrets can also contract distemper from canines. Depending on how many ferrets a veterinarian clinic treats they might have ferret distemper vaccine but because the Franklin Animal Clinic only sees a few ferrets they don’t keep  the ferret distemper vaccine on hand because it goes bad more often than it is given. Thankfully ferrets can be vaccinated with canine distemper vaccine.

Both boys got vaccinated by the tech. Unfortunately it was given in the hind end. When Manny got certified as a therapy ferret he was given his vaccinations in the scruff of his neck. I am not sure if there is a reason for what location is used or if it was just easier for the tech to given the shots in the butt.

Some ferrets react badly to vaccinations so it is always a good idea to stick around the clinic for 30 minutes encase they do have a reaction. This is also true for ferrets that have never had a reaction before. The old adage “Better safe than sorry.” applies here.

I also discussed heartworm preventative with Dr. DoverSpike which surprised him that I even knew that ferrets could get heartworms and I found out that in our area there is almost no heartworm issue and the two dogs a year he treats often have relocated from down south to the area. But he did look up what is recommended as a heartworm preventive for ferrets. I was surprised to learn that one of them is a topical application of revolution.

Dr. DoverSpike gave my boys the best compliment which was that they were the most well behaved, calm ferrets he has ever seen.

So now the boys are truly ready for the road trip to Utah. Blog Paws here we come! Salt Lake City you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Have a chittering good day,

Jo

Ferret Vaccinations

 

     Vaccines are an important part of caring for our beloved animals. Some of our pets need more than others and in rare occasions are not required to have any vaccines because their physiology isn’t know well enough to know how things will work with them.

     We all should be aware of the fact that cats and dogs are required to have the rabies vaccine but what many new ferret owners don’t realize is that they should have their little buddy vaccinated against rabies as the disease is always fatal to the ferret.

     Most states do not put a ferret  into quarantine after it has bitten someone. The ferret is destroyed and studied. The rabies vaccine of choice for most veterinarians is Imrab-3. This is also the same as the rabies vaccine given to both dogs and cats.

     Another vaccine ferrets should have is for distemper. There are two distinct types of distemper, canine and feline. While ferrets are susceptible to canine distemper they don’t seem to catch the feline version.

     Distemper is an RNA virus (1) and is not stable enough to live in the environment very long. This virus is spread from sick animals by sneezing or coughing in the vicinity of a healthy one. The incubation period of distemper is between six to nine days. During the incubation time a ferret may not show any signs of contracting this disease.

     Distemper is often mistaken as the human cold in a ferret because many of the symptoms are very similar. A ferret showing signs of being depressed, develops a skin rash, nasal and eye discharge should be immediately by a ferret knowledgeable vet before the disease’s nerve degeneration begins.

     Distemper is almost always fatal in ferrets because owners may believe their ferret is suffering from just a cold and do not seek medical treatment. There have been a few cases where the ferret was saved from distemper but because of the high fever that accompanies this disease usually around 104 degrees their personality was never the same due to brain damage.

     Distemper is 100% preventable with vaccination. The recommended vaccination schedule is that a ferret be vaccinated with his/her first shot at 6-8 weeks, which is given when baby ferrets are shipped from breeders to the pet stores. The booster shot should be given at 10-12 weeks and then is given yearly. The vaccine that is approved for ferrets is Purevax manufactured by Merial, Inc.

     While there have been reports of ferrets having a severe reaction to the vaccine many ferret knowledgeable vets will be able to talk to you about the chances of your little one having a reaction.

     The best procedure is to stay at the vet’s office for a minimum of thirty minutes after the vaccine is given so that if the need for emergency care is needed you are in the right place.

     Yearly vaccination is recommended but if you are worried that your ferret will have a reaction or are just concerned that he/she really doesn’t need the vaccine there is a test called a serum titer.

     A sample of blood is drawn from the ferret and tested for the antibodies known as titer against the distemper virus. This could be a costly option as it takes a lot of skill to draw blood from a ferret, as their blood vessels are so tiny.

     The dosage of each vaccine is 1 milliliter or approximately 15-20 drops (2). Some vets will give both vaccines at the same time and others rather give one then wait a week before giving the other.

     Depending on where you live the cost can be almost nothing or up to a hundred dollars. For my boys the cost is around $70 but that includes the office visit and wellness certificate that I need to have for them to travel on an airplane.

(1) RNA is one of the 3 major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life. http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RNA

(2) Dosage information and other research from Dr. Hines http://www.2ndchance.info/fervacs.html 

     We would also like to thank Dr. Shawn Finch DVM for clarifying information and answering our many questions. Dr. Finch writes for Omaha.net .

 

Have a Chittering good day,

Jo