The original CDC group of studies on assorted strains of rabies is
ferrets allowed ferrets to be covered by the same guidelines as cats
and dogs. Going from the normal number of ferrets killed just due to
accusations before then, in fewer than two years more ferrets were
SAVED from unneeded sacrifice than died in testing. In fact, if you
compare the number of ferrets used in testing to the number sacrificed
to see if rabies was in brain tissue, some of the worst years for
needless sacrifice killed more ferrets than were used in the testing
in just those single years alone. Since then ferrets have become even
more popular so the number saved is probably even better in succeeding
years.

Maybe I should make people aware of this given some private mails from
people who were unaware because they not did not have ferrets then.
Those who didn't have ferrets back then don't know this, and tend to
not know of the preceding vaccine work that also saved ferret lives.
All told, it took over a decade to prevent needless killings of accused
ferrets. (Off hand, I can't recall how many more years.)

After the final step it came down to the ferret community making sure
that the health departments in each state knew, an effort in which I
was very involved since the Morris Animal Foundation needed the data,
so Steve and I absorbed several thousand dollars in personal costs
making sure that all knew that the CDC work had finished, what the
results were, and what pro-ferret changes happened to the NASPHV
Compendium for Animal Rabies Control and Prevention. Ferret community
members also informed their local hospital emergency rooms, which was
another essential step.

You can find the current guidelines here:
http://www.nasphv.org/Documents/RabiesCompendium.pdf

So, from the viewpoint of sheer numbers of ferrets saved, the original
grouping of CDC studies (***which are still having some papers arise
from their data***) very rapidly saved the lives of many more ferrets
than otherwise would have died and each year since has continued to
do so.

BTW, as others who were around back then can confirm there was even a
ferret killed just because a man cut his hand on a ferret cage, and a
number killed because people had their exes or suitors they had
rejected make false accusations of biting incidents.

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html

"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)

[Posted in FML 7385]