From:
"meryl"
Date: 2011-07-24 21:22:40 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: ADV and ferrets - breeders maybe not at fault -test for ADV only recent
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
First, I found this older information on Dr Susan Brown's website:
"An early casual study done in the 1980's by the author (Brown) tested over 500 shelter ferrets using the United Vaccines CIEP test. Approximately 10% tested positive for ADV, however only two of those ferrets went on to develop clinical signs consistent with ADV. There are two points to be gained from this informal study. One is that ADV is common in the general ferret population, and two is that the majority of clinically normal ferrets that test positive on the CIEP test for ADV did not develop clinically evident signs of AD."
Next, since I recently downloaded the pdf's available from the international ferret congress which took place in Arizona in 2011 I checked Dr Jerry Murray's presentation on ADV. I highly recommend it. You will see one slide with the info that ADV has been found in ferrets in "AMERICA, CANADA,,ENGLAND, JAPAN,NEW ZEALAND,SWEDEN, BELGIUM + THE NETHERLANDS" So placing the blame on one breeder is rather unfair. Also, because it is always good to know all the facts, I highly recommend the pdf which can be downloaded of the complete presentation given by Dr Murray at the 2011 International Ferret Conference
http://ferretcongress.org/sym2011/phxpdf/ADVinFerrets-Murray.pdf
It seems that testing for ADV has been only recently possible - and I am not sure whether every breeder can absorb the cost of testing every ferret - though I guess that if the test is not too expensive they can test their breeding stock. And I think there are false negatives - nothing in life is usually perfect. There have been outbreaks at several shelters in the US.
However when all is said and done, ferrets have a lot of health problems - it simply is part of being a ferret owner. So it does get expensive, and sometimes heartbreaking. My husband died of a heart disease, I knew when I met him he had a heart problem. I did not refuse to marry him. Same with ferrets - I take them in, they get sick, I love them and take care of them anyway. Guess we ferret owners are a strange bunch. Is there another pet or exotic species with such an array of health issues? And with so many treatments available?
Meryl
Dr Murray
------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
ferrethealth-digest@yahoogroups.com
ferrethealth-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ferrethealth-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/