Debi -
I have tried to clarify my thoughts to you privately, to no avail, so
this is 'for the record'. At no time have I ever made any claims
whatsoever to the effect that the information you gave, in an of itself,
regarding the protocol for pre-treating a ferret prior to administering a
canine distemper shot was "WRONG" (although I did express great concern
about the *amount* of medicine you suggest dumping into a ferret prior to
administering a cd vaccine shot). It was your bold, SHOUTING statement,
"ALWAYS PRE-TREAT" that very much disturbed me and apparently a number of
other readers as well.
Debi wrote:
>First and foremost (and I think I'm saying this for all ferret rescues ),
>all rescue/shelter operators first obligation is to EDUCATE- THE- PUBLIC
EXACTLY!! You just captured, in your very own words, what I've been
trying so hard to help you understand - In my opinion, those who *truly*
do care about educating ferret people will do so with AS MUCH information
as possible and that means providing MULTIPLE OPTIONS of care for people
to chose from - even if that means providing information you may not
necessarily be 100% in agreement with but that has been shown to be an
effective treatment method.
From that, the receipients of your information will then be able to make
an "educated" decision from unbiased CHOICES and not just YOUR personal
opinions. As a shelter operator, you bear the sometimes enormous
responsibility of educating those who see you as an authority on ferret
care and therefore it is essential that you provide those people with as
much non-biased facts and CHOICES as possible.
Personally, I would much rather be given a variety of information on ANY
subject so that I can take everything with me, do my own research, and
THEN draw my own conclusions rather than be fed only part of the puzzle
(someone's personal opinions only). THAT is NOT education; that is
"selective teaching" and, in my opinion, does more harm than good in the
long run!
Debi wrote:
>We give our opinion & advice in hopes of helping someone who needs it...
>Our "ADVICE" comes from talking to vets, ferret breeders, other ferret
>rescues/shelters, the Internet, books ... personal experience, and even
>other ferret owners.
That is great but again, what I'm merely trying to stress is that giving
"advice" (more like personal opinions) is not the same as providing
education and I wish that you would consider "educating" yourself and
hopefully then others, too, about ALTERNATIVE CHOICES to vaccinations and
the vaccination "pre-treatment" protocol you so adamantly 'teach'. By
not providing options (that you know are available but don't support),
you are essentially saying, "This is the ONLY way this can be done" and
are being very close-minded - THAT is not an educator; that is a
dictator!
When "educating" people who come to you, do you not provide more than
one name of knowledgeable ferret vets? And don't you provide choices
regarding various ferret foods (since there is more than just one good
ferret kibble but some are better than others)? Or do you not give
those people any choices of vets or food either????
This is no different than if a you were to walk into a doctor's office
and be told by your doctor, "Here is what is ailing you and this is the
*only* way to cure you." What if you did not like or agree with your
doctor's treatment recommendation? What if the treatment option was
contrary to your personal religious, spiritual, or moral belief system?
I'm sure you'd probably start seeking out other opinions and treatment
alternatives from other medical professionals then, in an effort to find
a treatment option with which you agreed and were comfortable.
Do you think you might feel a bit of resentment toward the doctor if you
found out later that this doctor KNEW of alternative treatment options
but never discussed them with you? What if you chose a procedure you
were not comfortable with, only to find out later that you *may* have
been able to avoid nasty side effects from that particular procedure had
you known about OTHER alternative treatments? Even worse, what if this
happened to a family member or close friend and then that person died?
(in reality, that is called "medical malpractice). Would you consider
that medical professional then a "good educator?" Would you trust that
doctor again in the future to give you advice?
I do not disagree with the motivation behind what you are trying to
accomplish but what I do NOT support and think is a grave injustice to
ferrets and the ferret community is your insistence that one particular
protocol be adhered to simply because it's YOUR personal preference,
despite what sound medical information numerous reputable and
knowledgeable ferret owners, veterinarians, and shelter operators can
present about BOTH sides to the "to vaccinate or not to vaccinate"
debate.
I've never once said NOT to pre-treat or to NOT vaccinate a ferret but
you will also never hear me say, "You MUST pre-treat or you MUST
vaccinate". What I choose to do instead, in the name of "education", is
share with others in a non-threatening, non-judgmental way, materials
that include both pro's and con's and then allow the receiver to come to
his/her own conclusions, based on what THEY (not me) feel is the best
option of care for their ferret(s). Have I always agreed with the
choice(s) others have made about their ferret care? ABSOLUTELY NOT but
I do have great peace knowing that I initially did my part by providing
as much information toward one's decision as I possibly could (which
included as many options as I was consciously aware of at the time),
without regret.
If you truly do want to be a *good* edcuator to other ferret owners and
potential ferret owners, PLEASE PLEASE allow yourself to be open-minded
enough to consider that there could be other ways (or several) to
attacking a problem. If you don't *think* there are other alternative
choices on any given topic, spend some time researching before you draw
that conclusion but in almost any case you can find several alternatives.
Jennifer and the dynamic duo
[Posted in FML issue 5123]
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