Triangle Ferret Lovers Newsletter
Issue 19, June/July 1997
Nothing is certain in life except death and taxes. What happens to your loved ones, fuzzy and non-fuzzy alike, once you pass on is no exception. Everyone knows they will someday join the hereafter and should write down plans for their worldly possessions.
Drafting certain documents can eliminate some uncertainty for your family and put your mind at rest. Some people recently told me they were worried about the fate of their ferrets if something happened to them before their pets passed on. Under North Carolina law if there are no named guardians for minor children in a Will or other document, then the court will appoint a guardian based on " the best interests of the child." Unfortunately, there are no "best interests of the Ferret" rules, and courts treat pets as property. In the case of children and pets, most people want to choose a guardian for their minor children and an owner for their ferrets based on what they feel is best, and not based on what some court feels. Putting guardian provisions into a properly drafted document lends great weight to your decisions regarding children, and even more weight regarding your pets.
A Last Will and Testament is the most common and versatile of these documents. A Will typically contains guardian and trustee provisions for minor children, binding burial provisions, and property bequests. Ferrets are only property like your TV and cookware. You may want to name several alternate people to take charge of your ferrets in case someone is unable or unwilling to care for them.
A Living Trust is another vehicle for granting possession of your pets. Living Trust provisions mirror most provisions in a Last Will and Testament, but instead of property filtering through the probate court they pass privately outside of court. The main drawbacks of a Living Trust are it is more expensive to set up, the Living Trust should be amended whenever a possession with a title to it is bought or sold, and a back-up Will is necessary to appoint guardians for minor children and record burial wishes. However, attacking a Living Trust is statistically much harder, Living Trusts are not public documents after you pass on, and distributing assets is much quicker.
Some people have raised concerns about using Wills or Living Trusts because of the delay in getting their ferrets to the proper owners if anything should happen. I have even heard horror stories of pets going between friends and relatives for weeks until the late owner's Will was found. The simplest way to avoid these potential problems is to make multiple copies of your Will or Living Trust and give them to reliable friends and family members. If anything happens, they can immediately make sure your children, pets and possessions are safe while the legal paperwork is completed. It may also be good to leave handwritten instructions regarding your children and ferrets so your wishes can be carried out quickly, although these notes are not as binding as a Will or Living Trust.
Jeffrey G. Marsocci is a North Carolina-licensed attorney practicing in the areas of personal injury, wills and estate planning, small business formation and step-parent adoptions. To set up a free consultation regarding any of these matters, call (919) 871-6993.
Shifts available are: 12:00-4:00pm or 4:00-7:30pm. Items needed: ferret-shaped cookies, craft items, miniature hats, bumper stickers, key chains, and anything else you can donate (except tee shirts or carbonated drinks). So be creative.
Admission is free. Our booth is on Margaret Lane (near the police station), and all ferrets attending must be up-to-date on distemper and rabies shots, non-aggressive, and owners must sign a statement of responsibility for their pets. Call Karen for more information @ 644-0520.
This post is a bit of a warning about a horrible disease that, so far, has killed each and every ferret that has contracted it. As far as can be told, there is no cure or treatment to alleviate the symptoms, and it appears to be 100% fatal to the little monsters. It is viral, so antibiotics won't kill the bugs. Additionally, it seems to capable of spreading a variety of different ways, including air. Even worse, it can take quite some time for the disease to kill the ferret, allowing it to spread to other ferrets.
Symptoms include drippy eyes and nose; sometimes the dripping is clear or yellowish, and can drip enough so when it dries, it forms a crusty, almost scab-like material that is loaded with the virus. These same types of crusts can form on the chin, or even on the pads of the feet, which crack and flake. Some ferrets will vomit or get the runs, others will have a cough or have difficulty of breathing. Some run high temperatures or have severe muscle twitching.
It gets worse. Many ferrets start to have seizures, quite debilitating. The ferret will look disorientated, have a severe seizure, then remain dazed for periods of time afterwards. Often the ferret will scream in agony during the seizures. Usually, during one of these seizures, the ferret will die.
The entire process can take weeks for the ferret to actually die from the disease, and they all do. Worse, the period of incubation varies, and can be as long as several weeks, so your ferrets can be infected and spread the virus to your clothing and other ferrets without your knowledge. Entire businesses have been completely wiped out; that's 100% losses, folks.
I was asked what it would cost to identify and come up with a cure for this virus, and I just shook my head, thinking of the difficulty and cost for rabies and ECE. But I got out my calculator, did some figures, and came up with 5 bucks.
That's right, $5. It might cost more or less depending on where you live, but $5 is about right. Why so cheap? Because the inoculant is already invented, the disease already studied, and the effects already understood. How, you ask? Because this disease is canine distemper, which is 100% deadly to ferrets. The reason I brought this up is because many people ignore giving ferrets their shots until it is too late. Annual vaccination is required in NC.
This is springtime and dogs and cats are going to be running all over the place, and canine distemper can come into your home on the pant legs of your child, or hundreds of other ways. This disease is almost always preventable; please don't forget or put it off.
...Marc Wilson
The first two volunteers per day get a free pass to the Festival - $5.00 charge for everyone else (reduced fee - the usual is $10 apiece). Please e-mail or call Karen @ 644-0520 if you can help!
Alicia D
WrestleMania--I grab one at a time, flip them onto their backs, grab their hind legs and waggle them back and forth. Quite vigorously. Even the flipping part. Sound effects are essential. In this game I usually use "I am gonna get (name)." Repeat. Again. All of mine love this.
Tug-o-War--Take old socks of any variety and tie a knot in the middle. Waggle sock over face of intended victim. They will grab and hang on for dear life. Angus has a special version-he will fly through the air holding onto said sock while I twirl him around...stashing them is also a coveted trick.
Tubes--I started out with black plastic flexible tubing, aka drainage pipe. (Available at any home center.) It costs less than $5 for a 20ft length. You can also buy elbows, t's and connectors. I have it behind the couch, around the cat tree, up the sides of the tall cage. Even over a chair to give them an incline, they use this as a slide. It is easy to cut to suit your needs.
Clear Tubing--The guys clearly (pun intended) prefer this. It has the added advantage of you being able to see them play and wag their tails!! Way too cute.
TRIangle Ferret Lovers 4001 Cummings Circle #1-B Raleigh, NC 27613
This web page is maintained by Pam Sessoms. I can be reached at: pjdutche@email.unc.edu.
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