I must apologize for not writing in sooner.  I had not realized that people
would want to hear about my vet.
 
I have personally witnessed my vet, and all of his technicians, spraying
down the exam tables with strong virucide, bacteriocide, kill-it-all-o-cide.
No animal is allowed in the room until the table is cleaned from the
previous animal.  There is even a special spray bottle of super potent
stuff specifically to be used after a ferret is seen.  Not surprising
really as this is the vet where Fuzztek's ADV ferrets are taken.  These
people are serious about preventing spread of disease!  I have seen the
instruments being put in the autoclave for sterilization.  I have seen
instruments unsealed for use with each animal, even if they're all mine.
I have had 4 ferrets in for surgery on the same day and seen all material
swapped after each.  The table is wiped after each.
 
My local vet, not my ferret vet, also wipes the table down.  You don't see
it when you walk in because it is done before you are ever called into the
room.  I know this because I'm nosy and I watch.  While I haven't seen the
vets clean their hands, I would not be surprised if they did so when they
stepped back into the back area after each visit.
 
I'm not saying that there are not vets who do not clean.  I'm sure there
are.  I'm sure there are people doctors who do the same.  It saddens me,
but there's not much that people can do that would surprise me anymore.
 
Take care, everyone.
 
Anastasia
 
PS: To update folks on my ferret Christopher, who has lymphoplasmacytic and
eosinophilic enteritis, we are still battling the illness.  He was doing
better on pred and pepcid (and clavamox for a concurrent staph infection),
but he has slipped a bit in the past few days.  I am stil worried and
heartbroken for my poor little boy.  However, everything we've seen and
read has said that beating this problem is a long and painful road.  I'll
be sticking with it to the bitter end.  Please think good thoughts for
Chris so that the 'bitter end' is a happy one.
[Posted in FML issue 3233]