From:
wolfysluv@aol.com
Date: 2002-02-27 05:56:00 UTC
Subject: POCT adv tests
If I may, I would like to voice my opinion here. I've been
relatively quiet about this, but I"m getting more and more disturbed
at the fast, wide spreading rumours on the internet about the Avecon
tests, especially the POCT (instant home test). I would like to say
something addressing the validity of the POCT tests.
I would like everyone to remember something very important.
That the POCT test has a very important place. It was a Godsend to
me that an affordable instant test was created for ferret owners.
The POCT test can play an imporant role in emergency intakes at
shelters. When a ferret shows up at your door in need of emergency
care it takes minutes to perform a POCT for adv so you can quickly
administer care. It goes without saying, that any repsonsible
shelter opererator will still quarentine a new ferret and take
careful measures no matter what the results of a POCT are. But
there are some people (private and shelter) that would be otherwise
too scared to bring the ferret into any household, etc just from the
fear of adv.
These tests are also the cheapest option of the three ways to
go. There are people that would wait and wait to test due to
monetary costs, or due to vets simply being far to uncomfortable to
perform the Unitied CIEP, or the Avecon salive ELISA let alone know
what adv is (and they are out there). This test is reliable. It is
not perfect. It is not 100 percent heck it may not be 98 percent.
But it's fairly reliable. It is better than not testing at all. For
those of you that think this test will give a false sense of
security. I just have not seen that at all in my experience. One
would think that would happen, because people are human. I woulnd't
doubt if it has, but it's not as common a concern as one would
think. I think that is because a ferret owner that is educated
enough to know about ADV, let alone test for it know that they
should retest, to be careful, and to use different tests, etc..
This inexpensive test is a "start" for some. It encourages
testing. It give one a kind of privacy the others don't give.
I have used the POCT myself, and I can see where there is a lot
of room for human error. There are a lot of steps to take, there are
specific procedures to perform correctly that if one does not do
correctly will alter the tests drastically. I myself refuse to be
conceited enough to say that I even performed these tests on my
ferrets 100% correctly.
I"m not here to say this is a great or bad test. I"m not here
to debate the points I've made. I just wanted to post to state
plainly and clearly.... this test does have its place in some
circumstances.
Wolfy
Please visit:
http://www.geocities.com/wolfysluv/
for information on ferret deafness:
http://www.geocities.com/wolfysluv/deaf.html