In Our First issue:

INCREASING VETERINARY AWARENESS

Is it the owners responsibility???

We live in a rural community in B.C. Canada. Recently I have had Experiences with our local Vets that have raised many concerns as to their ability to treat our ferrets. Up until recently the needs of both our own ferrets and the ferrets that have come to our shelter have been fairly basic. However on in the past month I have been to my vet (and a few others) with questions nobody seemed to know the answers to.
The problem seemed pretty basic, our Jill went into her season right on schedule, so did our Hob, and we bred them successfully. A short time later I noticed my Jill had a slight discharge. We had read that it is not uncommon for a Jill to develop an infection after breeding and that all she would need is some antibiotics. So off to the vets for an exam and medication, right ? WRONG!!! Our vet had no idea what to prescribe for her that would not harm any potential kits. The vets solution was to ask me to search the Internet for an answer to that question as well as a few basic questions of her own ( like: what is the normal body temperature of a ferret)
I was truly shocked when I realized the vet my fuzzie's were seeing didn't even know what their temperature should be. So I decided to find a vet with some knowledge of ferrets. Not in our community!! The nearest vet with any knowledge of ferrets is 3 hours away. The nearest vet that can perform procedures such as removal of the adrenal gland is a 3 DAY trip (return). We are not wealthy people so my only option is to find what materials I can to educate my vet on the treatment of my ferrets. I feel it is a vets responsibility to inform their clientele if they cannot treat their pets. An owner should not have to wait until an emergency arises to discover that their vet does not understand the pets basic physiology. Make sure your vet has experience with ferrets when you take them in for their first examination.

M.S.Emery

Your thoughts and comments on all aspects of our newsletter are welcome look for your letters in our " Letters To The Editor " section (not all letters will be published)

services AVAILABLE

for NEW CLUB MEMBERS from The North Island Ferret Club

Ferret registry

FREE for club members

The North Island Ferret Club is proud to offer free club registry for your ferrets. When you are accepted for membership you will be sent a form asking for information on each of your ferrets, simply fill out what answers you know and submit. You will receive conformation of registration and a registry and tattoo # for each of your ferrets. The tattoo is strictly optional. The tattoo's purpose is to make it easier , should your fuzzie escape, for his rescuers to return him to you. A registration certificate for your ferret is available upon request for a $ 10.00 fee, $5.00 for a replacement certificate.

Monthly news letter " The Carpet Shark"

Once a month you will receive our newsletter, very similar to this but as this is our first mailing please watch for changes in the future. The newsletter will be willing to review any letters, information, stories (both fact and fiction) poetry and art you may wish to submit, please keep everything to one topic, FERRETS !! Unfortunately we will not be able to publish everything we are sent but we will do our best to accommodate everyone . A free classified add section will also be available to club members, please keep all topics ferret oriented.

Emergency Help Line

Club members will be Given a contact number and e-mail address to reach in case of an emergency. An emergency is anything that is threatening the health and well being of any ferret. Members may ask the e-mail address any question they wish at any time, responses will be given in order of urgency. Any questions that can not be answered by me will be immediately forwarded to someone with an answer.

THE RUMOUR MILL

YES ! The Rumours about a national ferret club being formed in Canada are true !!! Please keep watching " THE CARPET SHARK" 's RUMOUR MILL for more details. Have you got some little known information you feel other ferret owners should know about ? Write us and maybe we'll publish your letter in THE RUMOUR MILL.

WE hope you have enjoyed the first issue of "THE CARPET SHARK"

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