From:
"Danee DeVore"
Date: 2010-04-10 04:18:37 UTC
Subject: RE: [ferrethealth] Digest Number 1840
To: <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
tncshryl <miwok34@tvcconnect.net> wrote:
>I was just wondering, does anyone know the incident rate of ADV for
ferrets? I've looked online but can't seem to find anything.
I am not sure that anyone has ever been able to get a realistic idea of how
common ADV is. Many vets still do not know about ADV, and many people do
not test. Even if the ferret becomes symptomatic, if the vet is not
familiar with ADV, it may not be considered, since the symptoms can be
varied, and often are similar to other better known ferret diseases.
Ferrets can have ADV and never show symptoms, but still be spreading the
disease. So, unless people are testing their ferrets, they might have ADV+
ferrets and never know it. Also, some people who know they have ADV+
ferrets prefer to keep that information quiet, so many known cases would
still never be reported.
I don't know of commercial breeders who have admitted to having ADV
problems, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Often commercial
breeders keep their breeding stock in outdoor cages. It is known that both
raccoons and skunks, in addition to mink, can carry and transmit ADV. On
mink farms, where the mink are kept in outside cages, it has been documented
that the mink have gotten ADV from exposure to wild raccoons who are
carrying the disease. It has also been documented that wild mink can carry
and become sick from ADV.
As to pet stores, several years ago there were a number of mid-Atlantic pet
stores who had ADV+ ferrets for sale. In the cases that were found, the
ferrets had all come from a particular animal distributor in New Jersey, and
it was believed that it was not the breeders who had the ADV problem, but
this particular distributor. Fortunately, after about a year, the problem
was apparently cleaned up, because there stopped being reports of kits being
purchased at pet stores testing positive for ADV.
As to the various tests, my personal feeling is that the CEP (or CIEP) test
is the most accurate. This is a test that has been used for many years by
both mink ranchers and ferret owners, and has been proven to be accurate.
That said, I think the Avecon ELISA test, when run on a saliva sample is
also very accurate. There have been a number of false positives reported
when blood is used with the Avecon tests, and no explanation for this was
ever offered. Even the Avecon QuickChek test is accurate, if the
instructions are carefully followed. No test is ever 100% accurate, and so
testing more than once is a good idea.
As a small time ferret breeder and someone who shows my ferrets, all my
ferrets are tested at least twice a year. I use the ELISA test one time,
and the CEP the next. That way, I get the benefits of both testing options.
Danee DeVore
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit:
<http://www.ferretadv.com> http://www.ferretadv.com
ADV - Find out how you can help:
http://help4adv.terrabox.com/
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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