GEnie Pet-Net Ferret topic
>To: Dr. R.A. Robbinson
>From: Randy S. Sellers, Strategic Coordinator D.E.F.F.B.A.M.
>Re: Your response to the article, "The Domestic Ferret--Pet of the
>Nineties"
Dr. Robbinson,
As an officer in the state pet ferret association and a
ferret owner of many years I am tired of being victimized by
misinformed opinions such as the one you've expressed. I'm even
more tired of having to "clean up the mess" caused by this
misinformation. I've seen far more than I care to of pet
Domestic Ferrets being released back into the wild by well
meaning owners who have been led to believe the ferret is a wild
animal or animals euthanized or abandoned because people were
told that, at the very first opportunity, this animal would
attack their child for no reason. This kind of animal abuse
should be shocking to any compassionate person and intolerable to
a veterinarian. But you promote this.
You talk about "editorial irresponsibility" because both
sides of this "controversial area in public health" are not given
equal representation. Pet Domestic Ferrets are only
controversial because public health officials choose to
perpetuate a controversy which should be long extinct. If the
tone of Dr. Hoffman's article seems a little one sided maybe it
is because the majority of existing data is one sided. You
wouldn't consider it responsible editorial policy to give equal
space to an article which said that AIDS was not really a serious
disease. Certainly not!
The information about rabies shedding which you say does not
exist was actually published in "Research in Veterinary
Medicine", 133 (8-9): 553-557, 1982. The article states:
"The time limit of observed mortality. It was between 16 and 87
days inclusive."
"Of the 11 dead subjects, 4 of the ferrets died after 2 days of
illness, 2 after four days, 3 after five days, and 2 after six
and seven days."
"On the sub-maxillary salivary glands of the eleven corpses (of
the ferrets who died of rabies), the rabies virus was never in
evidence."
"The most significant fact on the epidemiological level is
certainly the total absence of re-excretion of the 'lupine' virus
which represents a dead end in an actual epizootic outbreak."
I can send you a copy of this article and others supporting the
lack of a rabies threat from the Domestic Ferret if you'd like.
There have been only 12 cases of rabies in the ferret is the
entir nation since the early 1950's as opposed to 7 cases of
rabies in dogs and 6 cases in cats in one year (1988) in
Minnesota. There has NEVER been a case of ferret to human
transmission of rabies...NEVER.
As far as your concerns about the vicious nature of ferrets
and their tendency to make unprovoked attacks on small children;
I believe you have chosen the wrong forum to present them. These
beliefs do not belong in a scientific or veterinary publication
but rather in a book of classic animal myths right along side the
stories of cats sucking the breath out of sleeping babies and
snakes that steal milk from cows in their stalls. Domestic
Ferrets do not attack small children. Just like airplanes do not
crash. The biggest difference being that, when an airplane does
crash, the focus is on trying to find out what happened and why.
When a child is bitten, the entire species is condemned as being
vicious, evil, animals that eat babies. Airplanes are
statistically the safest form of travel and ferrets are the least
likely of the domestic carnivores (and most large herbivores) to
cause serious injury. These are the facts!
I am always baffled by the arguments from the anti-ferret
contingent. Cries that ferrets are wild, or wild by nature, that
ferrets are a rabies threat, that ferrets attack small children.
Especially when those statements come from people who have no
problem with the keeping of wild captured exotic birds (parrots
and macaws) which cause significantly more injuries to humans and
other pets, or the cute little bunny which is genetically
identical to the wild rabbit and cannot be vaccinated against
rabies (a disease over 300 times more susceptible to). These
arguments are simply not supported by any scientific or
statistical evidence yet they persist. You can not twist and
contort the truth until it fits inside your narrow little
prejudices. I agree with the sentiments expressed in an earlier
publication by Dr. Marshall that it is time the veterinary and
public health communities stop damaging their credibility by
opposing Domestic Ferrets as pets and focus that energy to making
sure those being kept are healthy and their owners educated.
This will do more to prevent problems with the animal than any
anti-ferret campaign. An underground movement is far more
difficult to deal with than an open, regulated population. This
was evidenced by the great Prohibition and the current war on
drugs.
Ferret clubs and organizations have provided literally
hundreds of pages of information refuting these myths. Yet, with
the exception of the much discredited report by Drs. Constantine
and Kizer which you cite, we have yet to see any overwhelming
scientific data supporting these allegations. If you have any we
would like to see it. We showed you ours, now let's see yours.
D.E.F.F.B.A.M., as well as most other ferret organizations
advocate responsible ferret ownership. Many is the case were we
discourage a prospective ferret owner because we feel the person
is not willing or able to make the commitment to learning what
needs to be known about the animal. The Domestic Ferret is not
the perfect pet for everyone and we do not want to see "two
ferrets in every home". We whole-heartedly support the
statements of both the AMA and AVMA that no small child should be
left unattended with any pet, no matter how trusted.
As a closing note I am curious, Your response was written on
University of Minnesota letterhead. Does this mean that the
opinions expressed are those of the U of M College of Veterinary
Medicine or, like your colleague Dr. Diesch, simply your personal
opinion expressed on department letterhead?
Randy S. Sellers
Strategic Coordinator
D.E.F.F.B.A.M.
cc: Linda A. Grassie, Editor FDA Veterinarian
Dr. Gerald B. Guest, Center for Veterinary Medicine, FDA
Dr. Freddie Ann Hoffman
Petnet pet forum, GEnie computer system
INTERNET Ferret Mailing List
[Another "INTERNET Ferret Mailing List" ;-)]
[Posted in FML 0180]
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