Wendy Winstead

Dr. Wendy Winstead was a folk singer/writer, author, and veterinarian that has been credited with popularizing ferrets as pets in the United States in the mid 1970s. Winstead worked on and perfected the procedure for de-scenting young ferrets (by removing the anal scent sac and neutering males to eliminate their odor). She introduced ferrets to numerous celebrities such as Dick Smothers and David Carradine and appeared on television numerous times with her own ferrets.

Winstead taught her method of de-scenting ferrets to several breeders and farms across the United States, thereby making de-scented ferrets the standard for being sold at pet stores.

She died in the 1990s from cancer.

Wendy Winstead's works:

"Ferrets: A Complete Introduction" - TFH Publications ISBN 0-86622-829-2

"Ferrets In Your Home" - TFH Publications ISBN 0-86622-988-4