The following is the text from a letter that arrived from the
Morris Animal Foundation last week. It is probably a major step
towards the legalization of ferrets in North America....
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Can you believe it? We
did it! IMRAB (tm) killed rabies vaccine produced by Rone
Merieux, Inc., has been approved by the United States Dept. of
Agriculture (USDA) for use in ferrets. The vaccine is distributed
by Pitman-Moore, Inc. Finally, our ferrets are safe from
accusations that they cannot safely be vaccinated.
And I think it is appropriate for us to say that we ferret owners
deserve the credit for this. By pooling our funds at Morris
Animal Foundation to help gain an approved vaccine, we notified
all veterinary colleges and research institutions both of the
need and of our willingness to support research.
You can be sure that the resulting publicity caught the attention
of Pharmaceutical companies, and that they quickly become aware
of the number of ferret owners in the country -- a potential
market for a product! Though our "Ferret Fund" did not directly
produce the vaccine, it had a hand in it indirectly by
stimulating the commercial approach.
Now, once again, we have an opportunity to help our animals.
Through our efforts, approximately $18,000 was raised and set
aside for ferrets by Morris Animal Foundation. Though it was not
enough for a major project such as vaccine production, it is
enough to start a smaller project for other ferret health
problems. And our ferrets do have other health problems, like
tumors, reproductive difficulties, and influenza.
As a fellow ferret owner, I urge you to continue your support of
Morris Animal Foundation and to continue to contribute to the
Ferret Fund. Morris Animal Foundation's Board of Trustees
recently voted to continue to work for ferrets and other
companion animals.
You can help by distributing the enclosed press release on the
new rabies vaccine to newspapers, veterinarians, public health
officials, legislators and club members, and by filling in the
coupon below on ferret health concerns so that when the
Scientific Advisory Board issues calls for proposals on ferret
diseases, your suggestions can be considered.
Thank you for you past generosity, and I hope that the Ferret
Fund can continue to count on your support.
Sincerely,
Bill Wilson
Ferret Fund Chairman
ps. Gunther thanks you too...
----------
FERRET HEALTH SURVEY
Name
Address
City State ZIP
My top Three Concerns for Ferret Health are:
send to:
Morris Animal Foundation
45 Inverness Drive East
Englewood, Colorado
80112-5480
(303) 790-2345
I forgot to bring in the press release and will post it in a few
days.
We listed Lymphosarcoma, nutrition, and influenza as our 3 concerns.
Our local vet already has the stuff in stock and we have been in
touch with the NJ officials who regulate ferrets - they were not
aware of the vaccine and were delighted. This may be the "kick"
needed to classify ferrets as home pets rather than "wildlife"
:-)
Steve, Sukie, Hjalmar, Fritter, and Meltdown Crandall
att!mhuxo!evans
[Posted in FML 0102]
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