>From: Chere McCoy <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Ferret Informational Handouts need for HSUS EXPO 99 act NOW!
>The people who attend the show run Humane Society Shelters from all over
>the United States; also attending are Veterinarians, Animal Care Givers,
>Disaster Response (for the animals) and many many others.
I hope that I am reading your post correctly, but while HSUS (Humane
Society of the United States) is considered a moderate and respected animal
welfare organization that has done well in promoting animal welfare/rights,
it isn't the same as the "local" Humane Society (a common misconception).
To my knowledge, HSUS doesn't run any shelters. If someone else has
documentation otherwise, I would appreciate being notified. Thanks.
>From: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Please Help
>We thought you might be able to help us spread the word regarding the use
>of ferrets in endotracheal intubation (ETI) training. ... They also told
>us that the animals had to be destroyed because they were "so maimed"
>they could not survive. ... Because the nurses of the Pediatric Intensive
>Care Unit (PICU) refused to experiment on the ferrets, they were
>reportedly allowed to learn intubation in the emergency room. However,
>the respiratory therapists are still being forced to experiment on
>ferrets even though they will eventually learn to practice intubation in
>the emergency room as well.
I am not interested in starting a debate, just complementing the previous
poster's information. While I have VERY mixed feelings about using ferrets
in pediatric ETI training (my household contains two ferrets and one 12
week old daughter), I am more concerned about the instant condemnation of
this practice. Maybe someone more knowledgeable about the official opinion
of the American Board of Pediatrics or Emergency Medicine concerning the
use of animals in ETI training could contact me, but I believe they are
advocates it.
My understanding of this training procedure is that the ferrets would be
anesthetized and maintained on an injectable anesthetic such as ketamine
and xylazine (or some other combination of anesthetics); therefore, if
properly performed, these ferrets would never be aware/feel the intubation
(nor would they be allowed to wake up if euthanasia was chosen). I also
believe that I know of at least one facility which maintains their ferrets
for rotation through ETI training. This requires good veterinary
supervision, a limited number of intubation attempts, and appropriate
pre-ferret intubation practice on a simulator. I believe that the vet that
supervised this practice indicated that the ferrets were rarely "injured"
and were even more rarely euthanized as a result. While that is not an
agreeable situation to everyone, many people will also feel strongly about
having untrained personnel "practicing" intubation on their young child - I
would rather sacrifice the ferret than have my daughter "maimed" in the ER
or PICU. Furthermore, to really play the Devil's advocate, the practice of
having to intubate a "maimed" ferret is going to be very similar to
intubating a child with a traumatized airway. If you decide to contact
this hospital, I would also recommend that if they are to continue this
type of training, they are more proactive in the sensitivity training of
their personnel and the veterinary care of their experimental animals.
Just an opinion.
******************************
Sean D. Sawyer V'00
University of Pennsylvania
School of Veterinary Medicine
[log in to unmask]
******************************
[Posted in FML issue 2579]
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