I am writing this post in parts, because it is long, but also because I
think it is easier to read posts if they are broken up.  I am starting
with this explanation, so BIG will know to keep them as separate posts,
even though they are all related.
 
In the last 2 weeks a number of people have sent me a link to a video
that says it shows a ferret with ADV.  I will share the link for those
who have not seen it, but I want to warn people the video is graphic,
and can be upsetting to view.  I also want to point out for any who
look, but don't bother to read what is written on the page, the person
who posted the video says the ferret was euthanized after the video was
taken.
       http://youtube.com/watch?v=ca2qC3vohYw
 
Some people have sent it to me simply to ask if I had seen it.  Others
want to know if I think it is a ferret with ADV.  Since I have gotten
multiple emails about it, I thought I would address it here.
 
I do not know who put this up, or anything about the ferret in the video.
Could this be a graphic display of what can happen with ADV - YES.  Can
something like this happen in a short period of time to a ferret that
has ADV - YES.
 
That said, if I was shown the video with no information, and asked what
I thought was the matter with this ferret, I might say a spinal chord
injury.  It might be the camera angle playing tricks, but to me, it looks
like there is something wrong with the spine.
 
I am not saying the video is identified incorrectly - just that is what
it looks like to me when I view it.  However, I am not a vet, and can
only base my thoughts on this short video which is not posted in the best
resolution.  And, as I have now viewed it multiple times, and thought
about it a lot, I can not imagine why the person who posted it would lie.
 
Now, one more question that I get asked - do all ferrets with ADV end up
this way - NO.  Fortunately, some ferrets with ADV will live normal lives
and die from other causes.  But, there is no way to know which ones will,
and which will succumb to ADV.
 
ADV can be a horrible disease, and it can cause a number of different
symptoms.  The "classic" symptoms are a general wasting of muscle mass,
lethargy, and hind end weakness.  In the video we see this to an
extreme.  And, it can happen quickly, especially in an older ferret that
has had ADV for a while.
 
I saw similar things with my Hershey, who I often talk about.  Although
not my first loss to ADV, Hershey was my first ferret to get sick.  Very
soon after exposure, he began loosing weight, despite eating.  He also
became lethargic, and had some hind end weakness.  For the first 1 1/2
years after exposure, he would have problems like this every few months.
I would manage to pull him back with supportive care, but it was always
only a temporary situation.
 
We did eventually find the right combination of medicines to help Hershey
live out the last 2 years of his life in pretty good physical condition,
although at the end, he again began to fail.  This time, there was no
spark in his eyes, and no sign that he had any fight left.  I knew it
was time to help him leave, instead of try to pull him back.
 
 
ADV can cause other problems, though, that may not be quite so visible.
It can cause the slow and steady destruction of internal organs like the
liver, kidney, spleen, pancreas, lungs and even the heart.  The disease
causes the formation of immune complexes, that can deposit in the organs
and decrease their efficiency.
 
These complexes can also deposit along the walls of the blood vessels
and arteries, and weaken them, causing them to leak.  This is one
problem I have observed first hand.  My first loss to ADV, Buster, had
this problem.  He was doing fine, and then one night I noticed bruising
on his body.  The next day his gums were pale, and he was lethargic.
 
We immediately went to the vet.  He felt there was likely nothing we
could do, and Buster was put to sleep.  We did a necropsy (I was
present), and found he was bleeding out everywhere.  It was difficult to
get decent tissue samples to send for pathology, because the small blood
vessels in the organs had all basically disintegrated.  Much of tissue
in the organs was like a jelly as a result.
 
So, yes, ADV can kill, and it can be a horrible death.  There is no way
to cure it at this time.  Ferrets with ADV can sometimes be helped with
supportive care, but that is just a Band-Aid - not a cure.
 
My advice to every ferret owner is to learn what ADV is and how to avoid
exposing your ferrets to it.  Further, all ferrets need to be tested.
The only way to know if a ferret has ADV is by testing them.  So, the
message that goes with this video is correct.  Please, test your ferrets
for ADV.
 
--
Danee DeVore
International Ferret Congress Health Issues Coordinator
http://www.ferretcongress.org
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit: http://www.ferretadv.com
You can help fight ADV!
Visit: http://help4adv.terrabox.com/
[Posted in FML issue 5217]