I have decided that maybe it would help others if I posted about what I've
been through...what it's like living with Aleutian Disease.  I've been
living with the fear, and then reality, of AD for about 9 months now.  I
can't fit all I've felt and been through in one post, so I'll "mimic" Bob
and do a series.  I already know that I won't be able to find words that
are truly adequate to express the emotions I've been through, the anger,
the depression, the frustration...but since you all have ferrets, I'm sure
you'll understand.
 
The first emotion I remember is fear.  When I first heard that some of
White Russian's offspring had tested positive for ADV, I felt a terrible
fear.  I knew what ADV was...I knew there was no hope if my kids actually
got it, and I love all of my babies very, very much.  I had White Russian
and Chablis tested.  I felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach when
Russian came back positive.  (Chablis came back negative on the first test.
I was pretty sure it was a false negative, since she was the mother of some
of Russian's ADV positive offspring).  The next step was to have all 12 of
my ferrets tested.  There are probably no longer days in a ferret lover's
life than while waiting for ADV test results.  Words simply can't describe
what I felt when my vet called and said "All tested negative...except White
Russian, Chablis, Charlie and Samson.  Kodiak was borderline...he needs to
be retested." That was almost one half of my babies.  I was sick...
literally.
 
The second emotion was anger.  I knew ADV had been around for almost 50
years.  I knew posts had been made about it on the FML.  I knew that it
was a subject that always faded away.  I knew that little or nothing had
ever been done regarding ADV.  I didn't understand, and still don't, how
such a terrible virus was ignored for so long.
 
The first thing I did was post to the FML, apf, and the Ferret Boards about
the positive test results.  White Russian, as well as Chablis, Charlie,
Kodiak and Samson, had been to ferret shows.  White Russian, especially,
was handled by hundreds of people.  I had to let people know.
 
Then I did what most of us do when we find out our kids have a disease...I
searched the Internet for any information I could find.  I found that most
of what is there is fairly old information, and that what was there wasn't
very specific.  Symptoms are vague, the current test is only about 90%
reliable, no one knew what to expect or even watch for.
 
The third emotion I experienced was FRUSTRATION.  I have E-mailed and spoke
on the phone to some of the most ferret knowledgeable vets in the country.
Few agreed on how easily ADV is spread or how many ferrets that test
positive get sick.  The answer I got to almost every question I asked was
"We don't know." To me, "We don't know" is NOT an acceptable answer...not
when I had 5 ferrets that might get sick with this disease.  Not when I
knew the potential for other ferrets getting it.  White Russian has
offspring all over the country.  Some of those offspring have been bred,
with their offspring sent all over the country...and that doesn't include
the other ferrets that were at Flemming Farms that were testing positive.
That "We don't know" was unacceptable to many other people, also, so the
first research fund was set up.
 
Think of what it would be like if your ferret had adrenal disease and
no one could tell you anything about it.  If there were no surgery, no
medication you could try.  "Give supportive care" is what all the books
say about AD...there's no hope.
 
I felt FRUSTRATION when I could not get people to listen to me...when I got
little or no response to posts I made.  I felt anger when I wrote to people
I knew who had handled White Russian and received no reply.  I felt hurt
when "friends" suddenly disappeared, never to be heard from again.  I felt
frustration, anger, and depression when the club I belonged to refused to
put anything in their newsletter to let its members know that Russian was
positive for ADV.  It's very difficult to save the lives of other ferrets
when no one will listen.  It's impossible to persuade people to donate to
research when they won't acknowledge that ADV is a threat to all of our
ferrets.  I wanted to give up many, many times...I felt so tired...but one
of my real friends always was there to push me to not stop fighting for
the other ferrets.
 
Now...thanks mainly to Dr. Williams and Bob C., AD is finally being
recognized for the very real threat to ferrets that it is.
 
to be continued...
 
Judy
[Posted in FML issue 3188]