>From:    Christopher S Lloyd <[log in to unmask]>
>
>Hi, something in Anne Ryan`s post from the AFA&LIFE bothers me slightly,
>the phrase ( high incidence of false positives }.  It`s a term bandied
>about in the north of the UK mostly by people who do not ( will not ) test
>their ferrets.  The people at the UK testing lab said the test was very
>accurate.  A positive test is nearly 99.98% accurate....
 
I won't test my ferrets - I'm in the north of England.  My gang are fit and
healthy and all neutered.  If I was going to breed from them it might be a
different story... Does a CD vaccination still throw up false positives,
how about if the ferret is under the weather from an entirely different
cause.  Re-test in 4 or 6 weeks?  I think not, I have enough expense
looking after all the rescue ferrets I have at present.  Do I retest every
one when a new ferret comes in... the RSPCA up here don't like ferrets,
won't help with the cost when they dump ferrets on me.  A bit different
down in Wessex where I believe the RSPCA test every ferret for ADV before
they re-home them, any that show up positive are culled.
 
Come to think of it why pick on the north of England, they don't do much
testing in the Midlands or Anglia either.
 
--
Sheila
Bolton Ferret Welfare.
Membership Secretary & Editor of The National Ferret Welfare Society.
Web Site: www.btinternet.com/~sheila/ferrets.htm  last update 26 Jan 2000
Waiting at Rainbow Bridge: Jill, Deanna Troy, Cameron, Carnath, Button,
Bill, Bobby, Jasper, Inga, Holly & Fergle
The views expressed by me are not necessarily those of the NFWS.
[Posted in FML issue 2944]