From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2010-07-28 16:01:24 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] AVMA to do more on small pets, including ferrets
To: fhl <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>, Ferret Mailing List <ferret-l@LISTSERV.FERRETMAILINGLIST.ORG>
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/jul/28/prescription-for-pocket-pets/
Many people here already know that this specialization has begun and
that a handful of vet have gone for the qualification and gotten it
thus far:
QUOTE
> Two years ago, the AVMA executive board, aware of the teeny trend,
> gave provisional recognition to a specialty called Exotic Companion
> Mammal.
END QUOTE
It requires at least one journal paper on the topic, passing an exam,
etc.
This year their conference also remembers small pets:
QUOTE
>So at the upcoming American Veterinary Medical Association
conference in >Atlanta (July 31 to Aug. 3), veterinarians will have a
chance for some hands-on >training in treating tiny pets.
END QUOTE
The paper also writes:
QUOTE
> An estimated 2 million pet rabbits, 1.2 million hamsters, 1.1
> million ferrets and a million guinea pigs are changing the pet
> picture in the United States.
END QUOTE
and I suspect that this ferret estimate is very low unless a lot fewer
people now have ferrets (perhaps because some people just follow
trends, if so). Years ago -- I'd have to look it up but lack time--
the estimate was several times more ferrets than mentioned here, and
that same year Ken Wells of the Wall Street Journal on the Leonard
Lopate radio show estimated that about 3 Billion (with a "B") dollars
was spent each year in the U.S. on ferret care of about
$32,000,000,000 spent annually in the U.S. on pet care in general
(another billion figure). If that care figure is no lower then it
would be hard to imagine since that would be about $3,000 spent per
average ferret every year. When the radio show was done the estimate
was that about $600 was spent each year on average for a ferret. (Of
course, there are bad years that a given ferret will cost thousands,
especially in veterinary needs, but the typical ferret does not cost
$3,000 each year. So, either the demand for ferret care and ferret
supplies is decreasing or the above lower estimate of the number of
ferrets just not make sense.)
Obviously, the exotic specialization makes sense and I am glad to see
that the AVMA is covering these companion animals more in conference.
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
ferrethealth-digest@yahoogroups.com
ferrethealth-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ferrethealth-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/