OK here goes ,
 
1. USE ADVANTAGE or PROGRAM or anything else your VET tells you is ok
 
CONTROL, BIOSPOT, ect ARE ALL TOXIC TO FERRETS AND CATS don't let anyone
tell you otherwize or you will have DEAD ferrets.
 
2. YUP WE VETS CHARGE ALOT MORE FOR OUR PRODUCTS than you would pay for
them if you bought them directly from the company yourself.  HOWEVER, you
are also paying for:
 a. the person who ordered them,
 b. the fact that we have them on our shelf when ever you walk in
 c. the fact that we SHOULD know WHAT to do and HOW to do it if the animal
    has a REACTION to the product.
 d. the material on hand to treat said reaction.
 e. Mostly, the difference in cost off sets other unseen and hard to
    account for costs of running a business.  Because like it or not the
    vet's office is just a business.
 
And so finally you are also paying for;
 F. MY NEW BASS BOAT !!!!
 
With that said, on to more challenging things,
 
PARVO VIRUS.
 
Yes, Alutian Mink Virus is a PArvo virus.  There are two blood tests for it
but they are either highly sensitive (lots of false positives) and measures
exposure or highly specific (lots of false negatives) depending upon the
particular test your vet chose.  A positive of either of these tests
carries more weight if the ferret has the right signs of disease.
 
There is a test for Canine Parvo virus.  It is a fecal test - not blood.
There for the animal must have a parvo virus and be sheding it in his feces
for it to be positive.
 
Thus, the test that was run on the ferrets with the canine parvo test was
on ferret poop meaning that they were actively shedding a parvo virus in
their feces.  It could be Alutian mink virus, it could be the "new" virus
or it could be another intestinal virus that ferrets naturally have (corona
virus) that is very similar in shape to the parvo virus and thus would be
picked up on the test.  The problem is that no one has run fecal parvo
tests on normal ferrets so we don't know - maybe a large % of healthy
ferrets test Parvo +
 
thanks for your time.
 
I have to get back to charging $ 20 for $ 2 vaccines again.
 
--ben
 
Dr. Benjamin A. Otten, DVM
Windham Veterinary Clinic
Brattleboro, VT 05301
(802) 254-9412
[Posted in FML issue 2427]