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From:
"Mary R. Shefferman" <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 28 Aug 2004 11:45:46 -0400
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This post from Saturday's FML disturbed me.  Not only the content, which
I address below, but also the spirit ("No need to respond, I wont change
my mind").  I understand fully that people have their beliefs and those
beliefs are often unshakeable.  But imagine if everyone refused to listen
to other points of view?  Where would we be?
 
If people refused to listen and learn, ferrets would be illegal in a lot
of places.  Ferrets wouldn't have the advantages of medical treatments
or better nutrition.  But it's not just ferrets.  How many people would
still be smoking and dying from the diseases we know it causes?
 
Besides, I thought we were on this list to listen and learn from others.
I thought that was the point here.
 
>From:    Lorraine Kozlowski <[log in to unmask]>
>When is it going to make sense to people.  Vets want to sell you
>services.  They sell you shots for your ferret, they make money.  Your
>ferret gets sick, they make money.  Your ferret dies, they make money.
 
It took us a few tries to find him, but our vet is one of the most
caring and devoted animal lovers I've ever known.  He cares for wildlife
for free.  He takes animals home with him when he knows they need
round-the-clock care.  I'm happy to pay him because I know he's got a
good education (which wasn't cheap for him to get), he continues to
educate himself (which is also not cheap), and he puts in more hours
than I can calculate.  He and another vet in the practice have met us at
the clinic when it's closed to take care of an emergency.  No "extra"
charge.  These are incredibly caring people who are dedicated to doing
their best to help the animals they love.
 
When my ferrets get shots or treatment when sick, I pay for them, but
that doesn't mean my vet makes money.  The overhead in a vet clinic is
incredible.  They have to pay for expensive equipment (x-ray machines,
incubators, surgical equipment).  They have to pay rent/mortgage,
electric, heat, phone, salaries, insurance, and supplies (food,
medications, disposable supplies like syringes and tubing).  They have
to pay for vet conferences and texts.  It's like staffing and equipping
a hospital, not a doctor's office, and that take a lot of money.  If
you've never run a business, it can be hard to fathom how little ends
up in your pocket after all the bills are paid.
 
>How many ferrets have died of distemper vs. how many have died from the
>vaccine.  What is it going to take?  This is just my personal opinion.
>No need to respond, I wont change my mind.  Thanks for listening.
 
I'll echo my post from yesterday: If your ferret gets canine distemper,
he will die.  100% guaranteed.  If your ferret gets a vaccination against
canine distemper, the rate of reaction is nowhere near 100%.  The rate of
death from a vaccine reaction is lower than the reaction rate.  It's a
very simple numbers game: You choose the lesser of two evils, which is
always the vaccination.
 
Another echo from my post yesterday: the reason we don't see many deaths
from canine distemper now is BECAUSE of the vaccinations.  If everyone
stopped vaccinating, you'd see a surge in distemper cases -- and for
ferrets, death.  The thing is, we're past that, which is why you don't
hear of canine distemper deaths now.  Why would anyone want to go
backwards?
 
Polio is basically eradicated in the US because of vaccinations.  So some
people don't bother with vaccinations because ... well, "How many people
have gotten polio vs.  how many have had a vaccine reaction?" Or "Doctors
want to sell you services.  They sell you shots for your child, they make
money." My late Aunt Betty would be happy to explain to you how much
easier her life would have been if she had been able to get a vaccination
against polio instead of living her whole life in a wheelchair.  She
never complained and had an incredible sense of humor.  She lived a full
life.  But she was lucky.  Her father was a doctor and went to extremes
to find treatments for her when she was a child.  You can bet that all of
Aunt Betty's kids were vaccinated against polio.
 
You can bet that all of my ferrets have been vaccinated against canine
distemper.  I don't want to be a part of a resurgence of this horrible
disease.  I don't want to put my ferret(s) at risk.
 
--Mary & the Fuzz
 
Mary R. Shefferman and
Gabby, The Lone Modern Ferret
Ferret Information: http://www.ferretnews.com
Read My Blog! http://www.modernferretblog.com/mary
Depression Information: http://www.depressionplace.com
Neat Stuff: http://www.amysdesigns.com
[Posted in FML issue 4619]

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