Ferret Footnotes

November Newsletter

HolisticMedicine

Plus Lots of Christmas Ferret Fun Stuff

MEETING TOPIC

What is "holistic care"?
From even the limited research I did preparing for this meeting and creating followup notes, I have to agree with L. Vanessa Gruden's observation in her article, "The Natural Way" in the July/August 1998 issue of Ferrets Magazine. Half a dozen resources will yield as many definitions! A good general definition seems to be a style of healthcare that treats not only individual illnesses, but takes into account the health of the animal as a whole, its environment, and interaction with people and other pets and seeks to improve overall health. Gruden's article touches briefly on a number of disciplines which might be considered "holistic", including acupuncture and acupressure, chiropracty, massage therapy, naturopathy, herbology, homeopathy, and Ayurvedic. Some tenets seem to crossover disciplines. They include the importance of nutrition and diet, the side effects sometimes associated with vaccination, and the influence of appropriate exercise. Other than "holistic care", the most common term I saw used was "homeopathic care." The Florida Holistic Veterinary Medical Association
website (http://www.naturalholistic .com) contains a "Homeopathic Primer". It describes the methods of medical treatment proposed by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann in his search for a "... gentler, more natural method of curing the patient..." at a time that bleeding or dosing with heavy metals was common. It's basic principle is the "Law of Similars"--or "like cures like," by which he sought to stimulate the body to fight a disease by introducing VERY small doses of an agent that would cause symptoms similar to those of the disease at higher doses.

I found next to nothing specifically on ferrets and holistic or homeopathic care. Most material was on dogs, some on cats. Most of the info found that would be generally applicable (and most of the material period) revolved around feeding "whole" or "natural" foods or debate over vaccines and possible side effects of over-vaccination. Other material read was mostly very general--sort of a general introduction to the concept of alternative care. One ferret lover arranged for a call put on the speakerphone with Gary Holowicki (http://www.concentric.net/~Gferret/), who is well known for his story of curing his ferret Timmy of lymphoma through holistic remedies, which he has helped to produce and market as Timmy's Tonic to make them more available to other ferret owners. Most sources give the very good advice to do A LOT of research before beginning to treat or supplement your pet with ANY substance, natural or not. Remember to "first, do no harm." Find out about possible contraindications or side effects before starting the new regimen. Gather information from a variety of sources, and consider consulting a vet with experience in ferrets, holistic treatments, or preferably, BOTH!

Most of the emphasis on diet advocated feeding "whole", "natural", or "organic" foods, eliminating unnecessary preservatives and additives, trying to limit environmental toxins, and matching the "natural" diet of a pet. Some advocate whole, raw foods. We already know that some ferret owners in other countries feed their ferrets chunks of whole rabbit, culled chicks or similar. Gary Holowicki says he has heard that the research division of a major animal food company at one time said they found the best diet for cats was ground mice, but couldn't recommend that as the human populace was not ready to accept such an unsavory sounding theory! Anecdotally, it seems that some foreign ferrets may live longer or more cancer-free lives, and some of their owners claim that the feed offered the ferrets plays an important part in this. Some of the materials I reviewed strongly advocated feeding carnivores whole, raw meats and eggs. The suggestion for dealing with contamination was washing raw meats with food grade hydrogen peroxide or very lightly cooking meats and eggs. Where they were expressed, the concerns where the same common sense ones you would expect: how to avoid contamination. Chicken can have samonella, pork may have trichinosis, and American beef supplies have been known to become E. coli contaminated, while overseas "Mad Cow" disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) has raised its head. Gary Holowicki mentioned that he saw a "Nova" show that stated that the infectious material that causes mad cow disease has neither DNA nor RNA and even fire won't destroy it completely! A check of the PBS website confirmed that in the search for the infectious agent, no viral or bacterial agent has been identified. Rather the best hypothesis so far is that an odd protein strand found in the brains of animals dead of spongiform encephalitis is either the causative agent or a side effect thereof. The disease-causing form of the protein is called a "prion," chemically identical to normal brain protein, but with a different shape that renders it nearly indestructible. Something I found of even greater interest was a similar disease broke in a population of fur-farm mink in the northern mid-west in 1985. There was never a positive link made to "mad cow disease" (no positive case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy has been found in the US), but the scientists researching the deaths were confident that the disease was introduced through the carcasses of sick cows that had been fed to the mink. The point in all this talk of contamination is that those at the meeting felt that a high quality kibble diet was appropriate and far safer than risking raw foods. For suggestions on identifying nutritionally sound foods for ferrets, check out our January 1998 or 1997 newsletters!

Colloidal silver is a substance I have heard widely recommended by various ferret caretakers, but their accounts of uses varied so widely, I was unsure of what legitimate use one might expect. Gruden's article rightly cautions about regarding any one thing as a "miracle cure". So I asked Gary Holowicki what application he felt it had in ferrets. His comment was that the thing he had seen colloidal silver most seem to affect was the enlarged spleen that is so common a finding in our ferrets. He stated that owners who elect to use colloidal silver should expect that it may take 2-3 weeks to begin to see a result. With his personal ferrets, Gary has chosen to allow them to be "self-dosing", offering them a dropper from which to lick the solution. His ferrets will usually not take the silver every time after the initial few days, but rather may accept 1cc ­ 4cc every 3-7 days. His favorite supplier of colloidal silver is Silver Wings, because of the accompanying literature and the fact that their silver particles are reputed to be the smallest on the market and electrostatically bound to a pure protein. A recent FML posting noted that a Canadian journal or nature health recommended particles .001 Micro Clusters or smaller for safe use over time. I have since done more browsing on a website or two. Silver is purported to have antibiotic properties, though one site states that the effectiveness of colloidal silver is in the homeopathic range due to dilution. If the claim that silver is absorbed in part by cells in the liver which assist in fighting off infection, perhaps there is something of interest their for the claim that silver boosts the immune system. Uses of silver by Swiss manufacturers of water purification filters and elsewhere in swimming pool ionizers as well as research into treatment of drug-resistant infection lend some credence as well. This is not to say that silver is recommended for everyone or on a permanent basis! Allergy to silver is possible. Silver can accumulate in the system and cause anything from skin discoloration to neural symptoms or death due to toxicity in very high doses. Use only true silver colloids and not a solution derived from a silver salt such as silver nitrate, which is both caustic and too strongly concentrated. Care must be taken to keep metal concentrations low, and again, the recommendation is to do your research and consult a vet if you are interested in pursuing a silver treatment!

Other items that have been used as supplemental treatments for the ferrets of our members included "Timmy's Tonic," used by Kathy Lucy with her own Timmy and his advanced insulinoma and chromium picolinate used by Debra Thomason in her ferrets with insulinoma. See Gary's website above to read about Timmy's Tonic or to e-mail Gary to learn where to order it. Liquid chromium picolinate is manufactured locally (Arlington) and can be purchased at Daniel Drug on W. 7th St. in Fort Worth. The product is a sublingual called "The Chromium Solution."

While the club has no experience with local ferret vets that practice holistic or homeopathic care as their preferred method, the roster of The Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy lists the following Texas vets as members. The only "certified" vet listed is in Carrollton. The club is not promoting any of these vets specifically, as we have no experience with them and know nothing of their qualifications to treat ferrets. The information is provided for your reference so that you have an additional resource from which to learn.

Dr. Anna Scholey Carrollton (972)245-1123 (certified)

Dr. Jerry Dittrich Arlington (817)467-6688

Dr. Nancy Bozeman Arlington (817)572-2400

Dr. Patricia Cooper Houston (713)520-5588

Dr. Bill McGehee San Antonio (210)344-8259

Dr. Betsy Harrison Wimberley (830)935-2596

The Ferrets Magazine article offers some additional resources for learning more about this topic as well:

Associations & Organizations

These groups Provide training to veterinarians, and some offer courses or seminars for owners, Most will Provide listings of specialists in their field if you send them a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Newsletters

Please contact each for current information regarding their subscription rates.

Ferret Fun

Foxx's First Christmas

Suzann Martin<starr99@mis.net>

Twas the night before Christmas as I sat in my house,
I was up to no good, being quiet as a mouse.

Mom and Dad were snuggled up cozy in bed
While visions of their wedding day danced in their head
Jesse and Nicki slept soundly above
having been tucked in by those who they love.
The door to my cage was closed snuggly in place,
So why is there such a big smile on my face?
Because I know something that Mom and Dad do not,
I can sneak out of my cage, without getting caught!
What is this "Christmas" thing? I have to know more!
I have to find out! I must seek and explore!
Ever so sly, I pawed open the door,
tripped over the cage rim, and fell on the floor.
I dashed 'cross the carpet, and under the bed,
and hid in a shoe belonging to my Dad Ed.
I heard not a peep, so out i did rove,
My very first stop was to check out the stove.
A heavenly smell came from somewhere aloft,
Mom has baked cinnamon rolls, all warm and soft!
Oh, how I wish I could have just one!
Hmmmm, I could jump to the step-stool if I start at a run.
Cautiously I climbed upon the counter top,
and crossed to the stove with one tiny hop.
My prize awaited me on a large white platter,
so I nosed one off, hitting the floor with a splatter!
I ran down the stool to claim what was mine,
and I made it, just by a whisker, in time!
My buddy Jake had come to see what was new,
so up the counter I scurried again, and got him one too.
We nibble and nibbled until we thought we would burst,
The we raced to the water dish; I got there first!
As we were lapping our water from the bowl,
Cuddles and Ace came to join us, from their hidey-hole.
We all drank together, and then tuned with a start,
from the living room a sound came that made us all dart.
We peeked 'round the corner to see what made the racket,
and there stood a man in a fuzzy red jacket!
Chubby and kindly, his face all aglow
on his boots were traces of the Christmas Eve snow.
He reached up the chimney and gave something a tug
and down with a whoosh it fell on the rug!
A sack, all filled with boxes and bows,
and sweet candy treats I could smell with my nose!
We watched as he filled our stockings with treats,
and then turned to the window and looked out in the street.
He watched the snow falling through moonbeams up high
then turned and sat down with a faint little sigh.
What could be wrong? We wondered in awe,
He rubbed at his tummy, and that's when I saw,
The girls had forgotten to leave him a treat,
so off I did scurry on my four little feet.
Up to the counter I ran in a haste,
Nosed down a roll with no time to waste.
I picked it up carefully using my teeth,
scampered back to the doorway and stood under the wreath
When what to his wondering eye did appear
but little ol' me with a mouthful of cheer!
He bent down to hold me as his eyes filled with glee
then placed me very gently on his round little knee.
I gave him his roll, and he nuzzled my nose
His white beard tickled me right down to my toes!
I sat on his lap with my chin on his belly,
and it shook as he laughed like a bowl full of jelly!
When he was all finished he patted my head
and sat me carefully next to the Christmas tree spread
He went to his bag, and began pulling out things,
brightly colored boxes with bows and shiny strings!
He stuffed it all under our pretty little tree
and when he was finished he turned back to me.
"Foxx," he said in a voice full of cheer,
"you've been a very good little girl this year.
Now run off to bed, because you know you can't see
what Santa leaves for you underneath the Christmas tree!"
One last quick glimpse and back to my cage I sped,
pawed open the door and dove into my bed.
My eyes grew heavy, and the light crept away,
and visions filled my head as it lay
I had found what Christmas was indeed
and in my mind it planted its seed.
Christmas is magic, and giving and sharing
and family and friends and dreaming and caring.
I had learned a great lesson on that Christmas Eve night
Because I chanced upon the man with the beard of snow white.
And I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to All, and to All a Good-Night!"

Legalization Committee

We need some people who are interested in seeing ferret "legalized" in the metroplex. If you can help please call the ferret hotline and leave a message for Debra. Unfortunately without some interest in the legalization efforts of our club, we might be forced to slow down our efforts. Currently we are needing residents from Dallas, Euless, and other areas that are FFZ.

Help us help our ferrets become legal in your towns as well as others!

Thank You

is proud to announce that it is now carrying:

Gentle Touch®

&

TOTALLY FERRET®

817-683-6363

Kozy Kingdom
Halfway House & Rescue
P.O. Box 201013
Arlington, TX 76006-1013

Ferret Fun

The Spirit of Christmas

©Michael J. Schieman (Used with permission)

And it came to pass, so long ago, that He Who Sees All, Knows All and Loves All - the One Who made the Rainbow Bridge and lovingly looks after all who enter there, looked upon the earth with a saddened heart.

"I'm sad," He said. "It's just not working out the way that I thought it should. Perhaps I was wrong in creating this mess. Perhaps I should start over? Maybe I could do better next time?"

He brooded and fretted for an everlong time; sent plagues and deprivations in an attempt to convince Himself to change His mind, and to try to feel better about the creation He had created.

"I really hate being this way," He often said. "But I'll be hanged if these two-legged creatures will ever claim to be a part of Me. They're much too filled with their evil ways and pious conceit to fit into My plans. Yet, try as I might, I can't bring Myself to wipe them out. Guess I'm just not cut out to be a bad - no matter how hard I try. But, still..."

Lucky for us, a ferret chose that moment to crawl up God's robes and to lick Him on the nose. God snuffled and sneezed for a moment or two - almost got madder than He already was. The ferret licked God's face and gave Him a loving kiss that only a ferret could give.

"Hang on a moment, little fellow," God said as He regained His composure. "Why are you so happy when I'm so sad? I'm just before blasting all of creation to hell and gone and, here you are, tickling My whiskers - trying to cheer Me up."

The ferret was much to busy to hear the reproach in his Maker's voice. He climbed up God's long and flowing white beard until his mouth was next to God's left ear. The ferret dooked, took a deep breath, and whispered a single word. "Christmas," the ferret said.

"Christmas?" God said as He echoed the word the ferret had spoken to Him. "Now, that's an interesting sounding word, one that I've never heard before. What can it mean?" Without speaking again, the ferret - his name was Jesse by the way - gave God a wet-nosed kiss on the cheek, scampered down his Maker's long robes and disappeared from sight as he war danced onto an adjoining cloud.

"Strange little creature," God mused as He watched the ferret bounce around in it's unique way. "I'll have to admit that he seems to be filled with fun and simple joy. We could use a bit more of that around here. Still he has me curious, 'Christmas" - that's a nice sounding word. I wonder what it means?"

A few days passed in that special part of heaven called the Rainbow Bridge. A few thousand years passed on earth. Men fought wars: nations rose and nations died. God did His best to ignore all the mess that was happening in His creation. He was tempted many times to send the earth spiralling into the sun and to be done with all the nonsense that kept making Him sad and making Him mad. The only thing that stopped Him was the nagging thought that he must understand what the ferret had meant when he whispered that single word, "Christmas."

God was almost out of patience and curiousity when the ferret returned. If the truth were told, he had just reached into the deepest recesses of His robe and had pulled out a Mighty handful of thunderbolts. He was just about to fling them when He spied countless ferrets romping toward his throne. Well, the ferrets weren't romping exactly, for they were heavy-leaden. Each of them was carrying something as best they could in their paws or in their mouths.

In spite of Himself, God instantly found a smile beginning to form on His bearded lips. As He watched, the ferrets gathered around Him and laid their burdens at His feet. God stared in awe as he realized that the ferrets were bringing Him their most treasured possessions. The contents of every hidey hole in heaven and on earth was being deposited at His feet. The Might handful of thunderbolts fell from God's hand, forgotten and unused.

"Why?" He sputtered. "Why are you doing this?"

The ferrets said nothing; simply deposited their gifts and bounded off, dooking and singing in their own ferret way. As the last of the treasure was deposited at His feet, God spied a familiar friend. It was Jesse. The ferret was walking proudly, tail erect, toward the throne of his Maker. Beside him walked his only child - a kit whose name was Jesse Junior. Without a word, they both began to climb up God's white robes. Jesse Junior paused as he reached a fold in the robes, exchanged a few snuzzles with his father, climbed into the robes and snuggled up next to God's heart. Jesse Senior looked sad for the briefest of moments, then continued his climb.

When he reached his Maker's left shoulder, he stood up on his hind paws and reverently whisper into God's ear. "Christmas," he said.

Having, once again, spoken that enigmatic word into his Maker's ears, Jesse licked God's cheek and scampered down His robes, pausing briefly at the small, warm lump next to God's heart. At the foot of God's throne, he poked his nose into an empty raisin box - one of the many gifts the ferrets had brought - and satisfied that the box was empty, bounded off - for there was much ferret business to attend to that day.

God sat silently upon His throne for a very long time, a puzzled frown was on His bearded face. He thought thoughts that He had never thought before; felt feelings He had never felt before. He gazed upon the great pile of gifts that the ferrets had brought to Him, and smiled.

"I supposed that a casual observer would consider this to be the most colossal collection of junk ever to be collected in place." He laughed. "To Me, it's the greatest treasure that has ever existed. The ferrets have given Me everything they had to give - joyfully and without any expectation of a gift in return."

A small tear glistened in the corner of God's right eye - a tear of joy and of gratitude. God was content even though He was still a little puzzled as to why the ferrets had done what they had. His reverie was interrupted by a slightly movement as the ferret child who had been sleeping next to His heart yawned and stretched. He felt the tickling of tiny claws as Jesse Junior came awake and sought an opening in the robes. Soon a small faced poked out of a fold in the robes. It had a pointed and whiskered nose, small and twinkling eyes. The kit yawned again, laid his head up on the palm of God's outstretched hand, and gazed lovingly into the face of his Creator.

The tear in God's eye swelled and rolled down His cheek - lost itself amongst the whiskers of the great white beard.

"You, little one," God sighed, "You are the greatest treasure, the most perfect gift of all. For in bringing you here your father has given to Me his all - his very hope for the future. I think I understand now."

"Christmas - what a wonderful idea. I think that I'll feel much better if I give a gift too."

Later that night, a bright new star shown in the sky over a small town called Bethlehem. Shepherds, angels, kings and creatures gathered reverently around a humble stable and heard the sound of a Baby's first cry.

Christmas had come to the Earth.

Joy to the World!

Cover Ferret

TINY TIM - AKA TIMMY

If Timmy was still with me today, I know he would be teaching and showing me things that I now would not take for granted. Thanks to Timmy, and many other fuzzies like him, I have learned "Timmy Time Out" time. This is a time we should spend each day just being quiet, and taking in all the love and curiousness the fuzzies show toward life and experiences.

I don't think we humans realize all the illness and suffering a ferret can go through, and still show love. And yet......maybe we do......that is why they are so precious to us......

Kathy, Bandit & "The Gang"

Ferret Fun

HOLIDAY FERRET PROOFING

(by Erika Matulich)

The holidays bring special ferret dangers and ferret-proofing challenges. Let's explore some of these issues in more detail:

Food/Candies

During the holiday season, we may have more candies around the house, hang candy canes on the tree, exhibit decorator bowls of candy, or be given gifts of edible holiday treats. Your ferret may be just as attracted to the taste of chocolate, mint, or sugar as you are, but this is a problem. Ingesting too much chocolate could be fatal to your ferret. Too much sugar can cause serious dental problems. And half-eaten treats embedded in your carpet and furniture are no fun to clean up! Don't be tempted to share your extra holiday treats with your ferrets. Their culture does not know the difference between holidays and celebrating life on an everyday basis, so keep extra treats away from your ferrets! They won't know the difference.

Guests/Parties

The holidays may also bring more people traffic into your home, inviting more opportunities for your ferrets to escape outdoors, be stepped on, or be handled too much. Too many people and too much attention can cause stress for your ferret. Cranky ferrets may behave unexpectedly around your guests and give the wrong impression about what ferrets are like. Protect your ferret family by keeping them quietly in their cage or room when company arrives.

Fireplaces

Oh, those wonderful, crackling holiday fires! Unfortunately, ferrets find fires fascinating, and the burn receptors in their skin take awhile to register pain - enough time for your ferret to become severely burned before s/he figures out the fire was too hot! Never assume that your ferret will back away from the heat of a fire. I have seen several ferrets walk right over hot coals and into flames. Make sure you have glass doors in front of your fireplace, or a very heavyweight fireplace screen that ferrets cannot climb or move. The metal fireplace curtains are not adequate protection or your ferret. Keep your fire and your ferrets supervised!

Mini-Lights

Many of us decorate our homes and trees with lights. Ferrets seem fascinated by these lights, and are especially attracted to flashing lights. Ferrets attack and bite flashing lights, and may chew on other lights. This causes glass embedding problems in their mouths, and the possibility of electrical shock, or even an electrical fire. Some holiday lights have special decorative covers, which the ferrets may steal (I spray mine with bitter apple). Avoid flashing lights, and supervise your ferrets when lights are turned on.

Christmas Trees

Some ferrets may climb up trees, so make sure that the tree will not tip if there is a ferret hanging from a top branch! Do not hang edibles from the tree; they will be stolen. Do not hang breakable or chewable ornaments on lower branches where ferrets can pull them off. I have had ferrets pull or shake down glass ornaments, hide them, break them, and run through the shards! When I replaced the glass ornaments with satin-covered styrofoam, the ferrets shredded off the satin and ate the styrofoam! Now only plastic and metal ornaments hang from lower branches. If you have a live tree, there are additional dangers. Do not let ferrets drink the tree's water! The tannic acid that leaches from the tree into the water can cause anemia and heart problems in ferrets. Tree preservative water additives can be fatal if ingested. You must ferret-proof your tree stand with duct tape, heavy foil, bricks, wire screening, etc. You may also wish to place your tree up on a table, thus eliminating all ferret tree interaction! Ferrets may also get pine pitch/sap stuck in their fur. Remove with a light vegetable oil or linatone /ferretone. As the tree dries out, needles become brittle and can cause injury to a ferret nose, eyes, paws or skin as the sharp needle ends pierce rather than flex.

Gifts

Ferrets like presents too, but they can't read the labels and think all gifts are for them. They may run off with ribbon, shred wrapping paper, or steal smaller boxes to stash away. Consider putting gifts on a ferret-proof table instead of under the tree.

Ferret Fun

Over the Carpet and Through the Door

by Mary Cohen (Used with permission)

Over the carpet and through the door
To the Christmas tree we go
We ferrets know how
To strip every bough
Of lights and tinsel too--oo
Climb up the branches, head straight for the top
Start flinging each shiny ball
We'll sing and we'll prance
We'll dook and we'll dance
Each time we hear one of them fall.
Climb down the branches,
And cross the room
Head straight for our hidey-hole
We've got lots of stuff--ooh, look at that muff
We've almost achieved our go-al
Stash all of the goodies, then take a nap
Tomorrow's another day.
We'll start out again
And steal a new pen
For Christmas is here - hooray!
Happy Holidays to all

(to the tune Over the River and Through the Woods)

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America who also have ferrets to exchange experience about ferrets."

Rosita Druyf
Galjoen 27-31
8243 LG Lelystad
The Netherlands

Christmas is Ferret Fun!

Twis the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, and even......wait......
there is Bandit ferreting out "The Gangs" X-Mas gifts!

Clara examines to see what these reindeer are hoarding in their basket.

Timmy shows his best side for the holiday festivities. Bet it's because he knows Mommy will reward him if he's good?

The sockings were hung by the chimney with care, Hoping that St. Nick would soon bring........
raisins, linatone, socks, and more raisins....

Special thanks to Kathy Lucy for providing pictures.

12 Days of Christmas

by Stephanie Sheme (Used with permission)

On the 12th day of Christmas, my ferrets GAVE to me:

• 12 bookshelves emptied
• 11 scratched up carpets
• 10 toes a bitten
• 9 kits a nipping
• 8 plants unpotted
• 7 fuzzy kisses
• 6 corner poopies
• 5 hobbs a dooking
• 4 jills a dancing
• 3 terrorized cats
• 2 many things under my sofa
• and one big war dance by them all.

On the 12th day of Christmas, my ferrets TOOK from me:

• 12 juicy raisins
• 11 Cherrios
• 10 sips of soda
• 9 pair of socks
• 8 golden key rings
• 7 nights of sleep
• 6 Christmas ornaments
• 5 packing boxes
• 4 squeaky toys
• 3 ponytail holders
• 2 remote controls
• and the last pages from a book I was reading