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First Annual Halloween Costume Contest and Raffle But wait!! There’s more!! Ferrets References to a ferret-like animal are first found in writings dating back to 450 BC. These animals were used to help control a plague of rabbits. They have also been described as being used to control rodent infestations, but most commonly they were used to hunt rabbits, both as pest control and as sport. Today, the most common use for ferrets is as companion animals. They generally weigh between two and five pounds and live six to ten years. They come in a variety of colors including: albino, sable, silver, chocolate, and cinnamon, among others. They are very entertaining pets, and they enjoy interacting with their families. It has been said that a ferret is a little clown in a fur suit. Ferret Fun Facts
ProHeart®6 Recall
Seasonal Precaution Symptoms of chocolate toxicosis include vomiting, diarrhea, increased heart rate, hyperactivity, and seizures, among others. Immediate veterinary attention is required. Treatment may include inducing vomiting or administering activated charcoal to help absorb and remove the toxin from the dog’s system. IV fluid therapy may also be indicated. Please be very careful this Halloween.
Weight Loss Champion
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Does your dog have a little devil in him? Is your cat really an angel in disguise? You may even have a hedgehog that is longing to be a ladybug. If these sound like any of your furry children, come join us for a howling good time at our 1st Annual Halloween Costume Contest. Use your imagination, dress up your pets, and come join the party on Sunday, October 31st from 2:00 – 4:00 PM. We will play games and award prizes for the best costumes in three different categories: dog, cat, and exotic. Also, every pet who comes in costume will receive a bag of treats, and there will a drawing for a great door prize.
We are raffling off two huge baskets full of wonderful pet products, each worth hundreds of dollars!!! They are on display in the lobby now, and tickets can be purchased for $1.00 each or six tickets for $5.00. Along with the baskets, we have a gift certificate for one beginner training class offered by Dog Talk Training, valued at $99.00!!! Tickets for the training class certificate are also $1.00 each. You may purchase tickets for any or all of these raffle items from now up until the day of the Halloween Costume Party when the drawings will be held. You do not have to be present to win. A portion of the proceeds from the raffles will be donated to the Franklin County Animal Shelter.
For the past few months we’ve been highlighting different breeds of cats, dogs, and exotics. Although ferrets don’t really come in different breeds, they are a very popular pet, so we are going off the format a bit this month.
Although it isn’t known for sure, it is thought that today’s pet ferret originated from polecats found in Europe. The domestic ferret is not a domesticated form of the black-footed ferret, the only ferret indigenous to the United States. The black-footed ferret was thought to be extinct in the wild until about 20 years ago when a small colony was found in Wyoming. The black-footed ferret is being reintroduced into new wild habitats and is currently listed as endangered. 
There was a time in history when ferrets were raised for their fur. A coat made out of ferret fur is called a fitch coat. Early use of ferrets in the United States was for rodent control. There is even a local connection. New London, a small town in Northeast Ohio, was originally called Ferretville and was a major center of ferret breeding. There were farmers in the region that had as many as 6,000 ferrets for sale. The US Dept. of Agriculture encouraged the use of ferrets in rodent control. There were men called Ferretmeisters and their team of ferrets who traveled extensively, going wherever they were needed to clear rodents out of barns and granaries. The development of rodenticides ended the practice of using ferrets to clear out rodents.
This article is a reprint because of the importance of this warning.
It’s time again for Halloween, and most households have extra chocolate on hand for all those ghouls and grinches. But watch out, chocolate and dogs don’t mix. Eating chocolate can be fatal to dogs. It contains a substance called theobromine that can cause chocolate toxicosis and death. The severity of the effect of this substance on a dog depends on the dog’s size and the quantity of chocolate ingested. The type of chocolate is also a factor, with unsweetened chocolate (such as that used for baking), being higher in theobromine than milk chocolate.
We only have one weight loss champion to share with you this month, but we have several pets that are working hard to make it on the champion’s board next month. Gracie Dimitrovski signed up for the weight management program in October of 2003. At that time she weighed a hefty 66.7 pounds and was beginning to show some early signs of joint pain. Gracie very gradually lost 12.5 pounds, weighing in at 54.2 pounds at her most recent visit in September. Her owners reported that she liked her restricted calorie diet and was especially fond of the raw vegetable treats. Our congratulations go out to Gracie and the Dimitrovski family!