How many times have you wished that there was a "How To" course on caring
for your beloved ferrets?  A course designed for you, the ferret owner,
rather than for veterinarians and their staff.  A course that deals with
issues the ferret owner faces everyday.
 
Massachusetts Ferret Friends, Inc. will be starting a Ferret Education
Series for just this purpose, with the first seminar devoted to ADV
(Aleutians Virus Disease).  Think of this as ADV 101 - a seminar where
you will have an opportunity to learn where the disease originated, how
it affect our ferrets, how it is transmitted and how we can protect our
ferrets from the risk of exposure, just to name a few of the topics to be
covered.
 
MaFF would like to invite you to our ADV Seminar to be held on July 13th
at the All Newton Music School, 321 Chestnut Street, West Newton from
1:00PM - 3:00PM.  We are pleased to have as our guest speaker, Alicia
Drakiotes, director of Ferret Wise Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in
Marlborough, NH.  Alicia, a strong advocate of greater awareness of ADV,
has been in close contact with the University of Georgia, where extensive
research is being conducted with the hopes of finding out more about ADV
and how to control its spread in the ferret community.  Since 1999, she
has been administering ADV tests on all ferrets coming into Ferret Wise
and has encouraged all shelters to adopt a similar testing standard.
 
In addition to Alicia's presentation, there will be a "question and
answer" period, plenty of literature to take home and study and
suggestions on how to speak about ADV with other ferret owners.
 
To date, we have been fortunate in Massachusetts in that we have not had
an ADV positive ferret (to the best of our knowledge), but the Board of
Directors feels very strongly that MaFF has a responsibility to provide
our members, our ferret-knowledgeable vets, and our friends who own
ferrets the necessary tools for making sound and reasonable decisions
concerning the protection of all ferrets from exposure to ADV.
 
We ask that you set aside this day on your calendar and join us for this
very important seminar.  Light refreshments will be served after the
seminar, as well as the drawing for the Martin's Carrier filled with lots
of ferret goodies.  This seminar is for humans only.  No fuzzies, please.
Directions will be posted shortly on http://maferrets.org
There will be ample parking, but why not ride with a friend.
 
In closing, consider the following quotation -
 
"Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your
community and world better than you found it." - Marian Wright
 
We look forward to seeing you at the seminar and please feel free to
contact us at [log in to unmask] with any questions or suggestions for
future seminars.
 
For more information on ADV, visit http://www.geocities.com/russiansmom
 
Phyllis M. Spy
Massachusetts Ferret Friends, Inc.
Dedicated to education, outreach and shelter of the domestic ferret
[Posted in FML issue 3820]