Anonymous wrote:
>... tests.  I feel that they are more accurate than the United tests
>that everyone has been doing.  Why you may ask?  Because when I had
>called a few years ago and inquired why a test could come up
>inconclusive they explained that many things could throw the test off.
 
Personally, we went with the United CEP tests ourselves because they did
a lot of outside confirmation of their accuracy right from the start, and
because the reports coming in from people who used the tests (including
when they had their veterinary medical professionals use them) have too
often included false results in either direction which then were blames
on everything EXCEPT the tests themselves.
 
>This means that if your ferret has a cold or the flu it could throw
>a false positive.
 
Ferrets do NOT get rhinoviruses, so they don't get colds.  They do get
influenza and they do get bacterial sinus infections which some people
confuse with colds, but they don't get colds.  Don't believe me?  No
problem.  Check past posts of Dr. Bruce Williams and the most inclusive
texts (also used by pharmaceutical labs) like James Fox's.  Believe me
that the pharmaceuticals would love it if ferrets got rhinoviruses since
such an easy and cheap experimental model would help them.
 
>If your ferret has cancer or had it's distemper or rabies vaccines done
>to close to the time of sample taking it could throw a false positive.
>If there is something on the ferrets foot when a sample is taken it
>could throw a fale positive.
 
Okay, if so isn't that a question of vulnerable test design, OR a failure
to communicate the limitations accurately before the consumer spends
money, OR both?
 
>To me Avecon is more thorough and more accurate, besides isn't it better
>to use the company WHO DEVELOPED the ADV test rather than a copycat
>company?
 
That is also inaccurate.  There are multiple TYPES of ADV TESTS.  United
used an entirely different type of test.  Now, I know that there were ADV
tests before the Avecon ones, and I *think* (but check me on this) that
the United CEP one was among the test types which preceded the Avecon
tests.  What United did NOT do was very public mass marketing to ferret
people instead of making their info available to vets.  That perhaps
make you think that Avecon was the original.
 
>Second, I was told that after January 25th that not only is United NOT
>doing ADV testing anymore, but they will no longer be manufacturing
>Fervac D or Purevax.
 
Purevax, huh?  Gee, I guess it should not be a surprise that a company
which did NOT produce Purevax in the first place isn't producing it now.
Purevax was made and sold by Merial, same manufacturer of IMRAB 3.
 
Now, if United is being swallowed by Merial and choices are being made
about Purevax (which Merial has always been so-so about), but given some
of your earlier statements I think I will hold off and NOT assume that is
the case, and instead try to find out what company is buying United.
 
>Both these vaccines are known for their higher percentage rate of
>reactions,
 
Also wrong.  Purevax is known for having 1/10th to 1/20th the rate of
reactions from: 1. in house studies, 2. secondary studies done at vet
clinics, 3. reaction rate records.
 
Is it possible that a vaccine can have concerns?  Of course.  But your
statement is incorrect.
 
>where as Galaxy D has little to no reactions
 
Also not true, though it appears to have fewer than Fervac but more
than Purevax.
 
BTW, there is a rumor that the makers of Galaxy may be considering doing
tests to see if it actually is effective in ferrets, and if that effect
lasts for a year.  To date, such tests have not been done, though it
appears likely to work.  (The testing is needed to know if it actually
does work.)
 
>Besides I would rather use the same vaccine as Dr. Bruce Williams
>who is a well renowned and well respected ferret vet.  If Galaxy D
>is what he uses on his ferret paceints than that's good enough for me.
 
Okay, Dr. Bruce Williams (who is a very long time friend as well as
someone with whom I have worked multiple ferret projects through the
years) used Galaxy when Fervac was the only alternative.  He was among
the strongest supporters of Purevax development and it was through him
that the ferret community first learned of Purevax, which led to a letter
writing campaign to encourage Merial to keep up the Purevax work in its
earliest years.
 
Nor does he use Galaxy on his "patients".  He is a pathologist and an
electronic medicine expert with the AFIP.  He does not have a clinic,
and this has been the case since before he first joined the FML in its
early years.  He preferred Galaxy for his own personal ferrets in the
years before Purevax, and what will happen in the future will be decided
in the future because there are always ongoing questions under study.
 
>Galaxy D has been around a lot longer & has been used on many more
>ferrets than the other two vaccines combined,
 
Doubtful, though l have nothing against Galaxy and since Merial is so
on and off with Purevax, and Fervac has not in our experience been a
great choice, I hope that the rumors of Galaxy being tested FINALLY for
effectiveness of use in ferrets is accurate AND I hope that it pans out
in testing.  Heck, I hope that they test it for longer than one year of
effectiveness (ditto the Merial vaccines).  If people could know that
they could safely and effectively vaccinate ferrets less often than every
year (as is true for some other animals) then I think many would flock
to such a vaccine.
 
-- Sukie (not a vet)
Ferret Health List co-moderator
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives fan
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
replacing
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org
International Ferret Congress advisor
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 5114]