International Traveling with Ferrets

The best advice is DON'T DO IT!

Here's an example of why you don't want to:
Barbaric conditions in the airline industry, by a shelter mom.

DOMESTIC
If you are forced to, if it is inescapable that you must travel with you animal companion, one of the very important things to remember is don't assume any thing. Many airplanes these days will not accept animal companions. The ones that do, accept only certain types. Also, if you are able to have your companion ride with you in the passenger cabin, you must make sure that your carryons fit that plane. All airplanes are not the same. Check with your specific the airline for regulations on animal companions and dimensions of the carryons for transport especially cabin transport.

INTERNATIONAL
International travel is a whole other nightmare.
Very, VERY risky.
First off, most airlines do not allow animals in the passenger cabin. They get thrown in the hold with the baggage. On each and every airline site, you will find a statement like this:

"Pets As Checked Baggage"

Do you really want to take that chance seeing as how your luggage is treated??

Another major problem is that frequently the information and policies that you need about the receiving country (the country you're flying into), are not available or WORSE, not up to date in your home country. I ran into that problem with Japan. Not only could I not get the info I needed from the US side, their official Japanese site didn't have it either.
I played it safe and turned out to be right in not trying to transport them with me.

Yet another problem with international travel is the QUARANTINE procedures--there's papers you need from licensed vets and a quarantine stay that requires additional fees. It can be a quite a lengthy stay, too.

Sites Specializing in Traveling with Animal Companions:
Pets On The Go: lots of information. Basic but MINIMAL fee to join. Well worth the cost.
Animal Airlines: company specifically geared to transporting your loved ones safely.

Direct Links to the Most Common American Airlines:
Delta
United
NWA
Continental

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Why Feed Naturally?

Ever wonder why you should?

Beyond just better nutrition, disease prevention and overall environmental enrichment, here's another reason for you:

Animal owners panic over pet food recall
By M. VERRINDER, Associated Press Writer

Pet owners were worried Saturday that the pet food in their cupboards could be deadly after millions of containers of dog and cat food sold at major retailers across North America were recalled.

Menu Foods, the Ontario-based company that produced the pet food, said Saturday it was recalling dog food sold under 48 brands and cat food sold under 40 brands including Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba. The food was distributed throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico by major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Kroger and Safeway.

An unknown number of cats and dogs had suffered kidney failure and about 10 died after eating the affected pet food, the company said.

Meanwhile, two other companies — Nestle Purina PetCare Co. and Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc. — announced Saturday night that as a precaution they were voluntarily recalling some products made by Menu Foods.

A complete list of the recalled products along with product codes, descriptions and production dates was available from the Menu Foods Web site, http://www.menufoods.com/recall. The company also designated two phone numbers that pet owners could call for information — (866) 463-6738 and (866) 895-2708 — but callers kept the lines busy for much of Saturday.

Menu Foods' chief executive and president Paul Henderson told the Associated Press on Friday that the company was still trying to figure out what happened.

Sarah Tuite, a company spokeswoman, has said the recalled products were made using wheat gluten purchased from a new supplier, which has since been dropped for another source. Wheat gluten is a source of protein.

Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Julie Zawisza said it is still too early to determine what could have affected the food. Zawisza added that even if wheat gluten is the source "it doesn't necessarily mean the wheat gluten per se. It could be another substance associated with the wheat gluten."

In Omaha, Neb., Susan Balvanz said she sometimes feeds her five cats packets of sliced meat and gravy sold by Nutro Products, one of the brands affected. "I've done so much research on pet food. It didn't surprise me but it scared me all the same," said Balvanz.

The company said it makes pet food for 17 of the top 20 North American retailers. It is also a contract manufacturer for the top branded pet food companies, including Procter & Gamble Co.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

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Help Legalize Ferrets

You do not have to be a California citizen to help!

This website was created by the group Ferrets Anonymous. Their fight to get ferrets legally recognized has been ongoing for many years, and this year they are finally getting everything together with this new site:
Legalizeferrets.org

From the site: Our goal is to reenergize the legalization effort with a bit of ferret-like optimism, enthusiasm, and teamwork. There are hundreds of thousands of Californians personally affected by the ferret ban. We are reaching out to every single one of them, asking them to stand up for the rights that are due to them as the owners of domesticated pets.



The site accepts donations of any amount or you can become a member.

There are two ways to become a member. You can donate $10 and try to get 100 signatures after the Initiative is filed or just pay $100. The signature gathering happens after (and if) we get 3,000 people signed up and send this Initiative to the Secretary of State's office.

Members get special discounts at the listed health care groups.

Please consider donating *any* amount. After all,

Domestic Ferrets Are Domestic Animals. Domestic Animals Are Legal

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