Hey Sarah,
No flames from me girl.  I take ADV seriously....BUT I dont' think the
tests are accurate enough.  That's alot of money to spend only to have
inaccurate results, false negatives, negative positives and so on....
especially when you have kids you KNOW need surgeries where the money can
be better spent.  The testing needs to be greatly improved upon before I
trust the accuracy of the results.
 
There are many veterinarians, especially in this area who think that
the ADV is a great big panic button.  I personally think that the labs
selling the tests think they've found a way to make bookoo bucks on us
ferret lovers.  However if anyone out there has had good experiences with
testing that they feel they can trust, I'd welcome the information.
 
I think it is up to the individual to protect their ferrets from exposure.
I think the ADV thing is a serious illness that has been blown out of
proportion.  It's really easy for shelters that have extensive income to
sit on their high horse and spout about ADV testing and how important it
is.  And I think there are some shelters who do it to make themselves look
oh so responsible for the ferrets and negate the efforts of the smaller
rescues, making them look "BAD" for not doing the testing.  The same is
true for vaccinations.  Yes Distemper is a horrible way to die but did
you know that the vaccination for cats only protects against one of MANY
strains of distemper?  You dont' hear about that though.  All you hear
is vaccinate and protect.  But to protect our beloved companions, off we
race to load up our kids on vaccinations that may, in the long run do them
more harm than good.  I know folks that have been in rescue for many, many
years.  They pay careful attention to the kids they've taken in.  Much
research has been done commparing the ferrets who have been loaded up with
vaccinations versus those that have not.  You would be amazed at the
health issues with the kids that have been loaded up with vaccinations.
 
All of this mandatory testing for show admission is ruining the fun of it
all AND there's no guarantee of accuracy.  Fear has us running in circles
chasing our own tails and reacting out of fear and panic will always
bring more harm than good.  On top of that, you could have an ADV negative
test within 6 weeks of a show, but what if that ferret is, in the meantime
exposed to a ferret with ADV.  No one knows but the owner, who may in
reality not give a crap, the ferret comes to the show and you have
exposure....even with your precious, expensive negative test result on
paper.  I think it boils down to common sense and trust.  If you don't
trust the source or dont' know them, don't let them handle your ferrets.
Be especially careful when going to big ferret events and handling pet
store ferrets.  Disinfect before you handle your own.  Disinfect all
bedding and such before exposing your ferrets to them.  Trust no one to
be as safe as you are.
 
Legitimate flames with a name attached are welcome.  I am flame retardant.
Anonymous: Don't waste your breath.
 
Kim
S.U.M.S.
[Posted in FML issue 3835]