While it sounds like gloom and doom for Alaskan ferrets, from the sounds of
Sukie's post, I'd like to point out that in most bite instances, a vet is
contacted to investigate and they all do have copies of the Compendium.  Oh,
there may be a few out in the bush who don't, but I doubt there are many
ferrets in the bush.  Additionally, there are very few ferrets in Alaska,
probably less than 1,000 total, so the possibility of a bite are small.
 
I seriously doubt that we could get legislation changed because the same
legislation applies to cats and dogs as well.  There are no specific laws in
place stating quarantine periods for any of these pets; the law says to
follow the compendium.  What we need is an informational campaign to inform
the local health departments about the new compendium information.
Fortunately, Alaska has a small population, and there are not too many
places that need to be contacted.
 
Additionally, Elizabeth Funk is not the person who makes the decision in any
bite case whether or not to quarantine the animal; the State Virologist
does, Dr. John Ritter, and he DOES have the right information.  When I
talked to him this past July, he said he thought that the new compendium
would recommend quarantine for ferrets rather than kill and test as we had
in the past.
 
While I agree that information about the new compendium information does
need to be disseminated to the local health authorities, we do not need to
try to change the law.  The law is sound, more people just need to be
informed.
 
Melanee Ellis
Juneau, Alaska
(The Capital City, BTW)
[Posted in FML issue 2204]