Search Results for: ferrets

Talking Cats, Ferrets, and Writing with Ed Lynskey

I’ve never met my next interviewee in person, but we’ve had an acquaintance via writing that’s spanned a few years now. Back when I was editor for the now defunct EWG Presents, he submitted a couple of stories that I published. Unbeknownst to him, I’ve followed his burgeoning career. (Which I always knew was going to take off one day. He’s quite talented!) But after I interviewed Jeff Cohen, Ed wrote me and informed me we had another love besides writing in common: pets. Thus, an interview was born… Courtney Mroch: What kind of things do you write about? (Genre, … Continue reading →

Even Ferrets Get The Flu

As the weather cools, we have to start thinking about flu season… and not just for humans. Ferrets can actually catch influenza too! Although a human can catch the flu from a ferret, ferrets are far more likely to catch the flu from their humans. So if you have flu symptoms, be careful around your ferrets! Ferrets can actually catch most strains of influenza that infect humans — including influenza A and B. If you have symptoms of the flu, you should try to limit your contact with your ferrets to keep the disease from spreading. If a ferret does … Continue reading →

Adrenal Disease in Ferrets

American ferrets may suffer from a common disorder known as adrenal disease. Ferrets in other parts of the world may also develop adrenal disease, but it seems to be most common in the United States. Adrenal disease actually refers to a variety of conditions. The most common condition is adrenocortical hyperplasia, which is a proliferation of adrenal gland cells. Other types of adrenal disease may be the result of benign or malignant tumors. The adrenal gland produces hormones; adrenal disease usually means over-production of these hormones. The most common symptom of adrenal disease in ferrets is hair loss. The hair … Continue reading →

The Story of My Ferrets… Part 2

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One occasion I was grooming my ferret Phoebe (cleaning her ears, clipping her nails and bathing her) and really noticed how emaciated she was. I sobbed at the thought of possibly having to her put to sleep. We’d been taking her to the vet regularly but nothing was working. Then having our son recently placed with us by adoption, we didn’t feel financially we could do much for her. So we took her to Ferret Rescue. They offered help but we told them of our efforts to help her and felt with a new son, our focus needed to be … Continue reading →

The Story of My Ferrets… Part 1

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Our ferret friends Phoebe and Sara joined our family right after my husband and I married. We adopted them from a ferret rescue, and moved out of state shortly after. They were so cute and entertaining. Sara became aggressive about a month or two after we got her. When I contacted Ferret Rescue about our concern that she may be going into heat early, we were told it was not likely and that ferrets tend to play rough. Sara was down right vicious though! Afraid she’d harm her sister we brought her to our small animal shelter which sent her … Continue reading →

What to Consider When Getting Another Pet

Room for more? Most pet owners are animal lovers and that often means we want multiple pets. We know, however, that we can’t be pet hoarders; we have to draw the line somewhere. How do we know where that line is? I’m thinking about getting another cat. Cole gets lonely both overnight (cats tend to be nocturnal) and when we are away for long. My dog Chihiro doesn’t play with him as much as she used to. The perfect solution is another feline companion. But how to know if that’s the right thing to do? When thinking about getting an … Continue reading →

Luxury Pet Resort Opening at Disney World

I spent awhile deciding whether or not to run this story on my pets blog or Disney. Because I focused more on the pets angle for this article, I decided to post it here. Disney may already be a bit pet-friendly with kennels at their parks, but given the company’s love for a no-holds-barred vacation experience, I’m only surprised they didn’t debut a full-blown pets resort sooner. That’s right: the official Disney Parks blog has details on the soon-to-launch resort aimed at making Disney World the Most Magical on Earth for the entire family, four-legged members included. Disney’s always had … Continue reading →

First Swine Flu Case Confirmed in Dogs

A little over a month ago, the news came that family pets were coming down with swine flu (H1N1). Cats and ferrets were catching swine flu from sick owners. Now it looks like dogs are at risk for swine flu, too. A thirteen year old dog in New York was diagnosed with swine flu this month. He was showing signs of having difficulty breathing, so his owner brought him to the vet’s office. Because the owner had recently recovered from swine flu, the veterinarian decided to have the dog tested. Two separate labs — including Iowa State University, where first … Continue reading →

China Protects Pandas Against Swine Flu

We have evidence here in the United States that both cats and ferrets can catch swine flu (H1N1) from humans. Officials in China are concerned that pandas may also be susceptible to the disease. A panda research center has been closed to visitors in hopes of protecting the endangered pandas from swine flu. The Shaanxi Wild Animal Rescue and Research Center started seeing increased numbers of swine flu cases and flu symptoms in general after the weather turned cold and snowy in November. Now they’ve put a halt on recruiting new volunteers and are not allowing staff members with flu-like … Continue reading →

First Swine Flu Case Confirmed in Family Pet

Despite all the worry about swine flu (H1N1) over the last few months, I’ve been confident that four-legged family members were safe from the disease. Until now. Government officials released information on Wednesday, November 11 about a cat from Iowa — thought to be the first confirmed case of swine flu in a feline. The thirteen year old cat exhibited the following symptoms: lethargy, loss of appetite, difficulty breathing. The vet who treated the cat described the symptoms as flu-like. Testing by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames confirmed that … Continue reading →