Bill and Diane Killian (and Rudy):
 
I feel terrible about what has happened to Rudy's babies.  Yes, it is a
horrible and devastating situation to be in.
 
I'd like to comment on something you said, Bill.  I bought a ferret from
a MD last summer.  Stupid me never asked about the greenies.  I should
have known better going thru what I had the previous year, but I erroneously
assumed that a good breeder would also INFORM.
 
Well, about a month after I got her, I had another greenie outbreak.  Since
my guys were isolated and at the time no-one with previous greenies was
coming into my house, I thought it might be the new ferret.  I called the
breeder and asked about the greenies and she told me this ferret had been
"exposed" to the greenies but didn't have them.  So, was this ferret a
carrier?  She didn't get the greenies at the time, but then she was a kit
and kits seem to have some sort of built-in immunity.  It took almost a
month for my guys to get sick again, which is longer than the usual 36 to
48 hours - although 36 seems to be right on the money, but is it possible
the delay was due to my guys having had ECE the year before?  I don't know.
 
Periodically, I've had people in my house who have ferrets with previous
ECE.  In instances where I have let this person handle my ferrets, I
have a mild outbreak a few days after the visits.  Nothing like the past
2 years, but definitely there.
 
Now it's happened again.  I have never mentioned it to this person because
I did not want to cause hard feelings and I wasn't really sure.  But it
has happened too many times for this to be just a "coincidence"  So what
do I do?  Ban this person from my house and lose a friend?  Tell her she
can come over but can't touch my ferrets?  Her outbreaks have been mild,
so she has a tendency to blow off this disease as an inconveneince rather
than a serious illness.
 
I have decided to curtail breeding practices for the time being.  Maybe
it's a blessing that my jills haven't come into season yet this year.  I
feel like I have to start all over again with my isolation period since
I apparently have ECE again, mild as it is.
 
Dick Bossart raised some really good questions.  I wish I had answers.
How do you regular ferret people feel about this - those of you not involved
with breeding/clubs/shelters?  Do you want to risk to find out if your
ferret falls in the 95% category of mild symptoms or the 5% category of
severe symptoms and death?
 
Our Shelter Director is scared to death.....her household is free of diseae
and her 6 ferrets are all healthy.  She would just flip if a shelter ferret
brought ECE into her house.....does anybody else have thoughts on this?
 
Debbie Riccio
WNYFLFA
Rochester, NY
[Posted in FML issue 1246]