The following is the text from a letter  that  arrived  from  the
Morris  Animal  Foundation last week. It is probably a major step
towards the legalization of ferrets in North America....
 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Can you believe it?  We
did  it!  IMRAB  (tm)  killed  rabies  vaccine  produced  by Rone
Merieux, Inc., has been approved by the United  States  Dept.  of
Agriculture (USDA) for use in ferrets. The vaccine is distributed
by  Pitman-Moore,  Inc.  Finally,  our  ferrets  are  safe   from
accusations that they cannot safely be vaccinated.
 
And I think it is appropriate for us to say that we ferret owners
deserve  the  credit  for  this.  By  pooling our funds at Morris
Animal Foundation to help gain an approved vaccine,  we  notified
all  veterinary  colleges  and  research institutions both of the
need and of our willingness to support research.
 
You can be sure that the resulting publicity caught the attention
of  Pharmaceutical  companies, and that they quickly become aware
of the number of ferret owners in  the  country  --  a  potential
market  for  a product! Though our "Ferret Fund" did not directly
produce  the  vaccine,  it  had  a  hand  in  it  indirectly   by
stimulating the commercial approach.
 
Now, once again, we have an  opportunity  to  help  our  animals.
Through  our  efforts,  approximately  $18,000 was raised and set
aside for ferrets by Morris Animal Foundation. Though it was  not
enough  for  a  major  project  such as vaccine production, it is
enough to  start  a  smaller  project  for  other  ferret  health
problems.  And  our  ferrets  do have other health problems, like
tumors, reproductive difficulties, and influenza.
 
As a fellow ferret owner, I urge you to continue your support  of
Morris  Animal  Foundation  and  to continue to contribute to the
Ferret  Fund.  Morris  Animal  Foundation's  Board  of   Trustees
recently  voted  to  continue  to  work  for  ferrets  and  other
companion animals.
 
You can help by distributing the enclosed press  release  on  the
new  rabies  vaccine  to newspapers, veterinarians, public health
officials, legislators and club members, and by  filling  in  the
coupon   below  on  ferret  health  concerns  so  that  when  the
Scientific Advisory Board issues calls for  proposals  on  ferret
diseases, your suggestions can be considered.
 
Thank you for you past generosity, and I  hope  that  the  Ferret
Fund can continue to count on your support.
 
                        Sincerely,
 
                        Bill Wilson
                        Ferret Fund Chairman
 
ps. Gunther thanks you too...
 
----------
FERRET HEALTH SURVEY
 
Name
 
Address
 
City State ZIP
My top Three Concerns for Ferret Health are:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
send to:
 
                Morris Animal Foundation
                45 Inverness Drive East
                Englewood, Colorado
                80112-5480
 
(303) 790-2345
I forgot to bring in the press release and will post it in a  few
days.
 
We listed Lymphosarcoma, nutrition, and influenza as our 3 concerns.
 
Our local vet already has the stuff in stock and we have been  in
touch  with the NJ officials who regulate ferrets - they were not
aware of the vaccine and were delighted. This may be  the  "kick"
needed  to  classify  ferrets as home pets rather than "wildlife"
:-)
 
Steve,   Sukie,   Hjalmar,   Fritter,   and   Meltdown   Crandall
att!mhuxo!evans
                                                                          
[Posted in FML 0102]