This is in response to Bronxelf's post about the new MF kit bringing ECE
into her (?) previously unexposed environment.
 
I have had the same experience.  Just under a year ago, we put our beloved
Presto to sleep (advanced insulinoma) and about a month later, we got baby
Harpo (M MF sable) as a companion to our aging Princess ( 5 yo MF REW).  All
was fine until about 1 month later.  We were foolishly looking around in our
local pet store (not the same one where Harpo came from and not a Petco) and
fell IN LOVE with a tiny (no more than 5 weeks old) silver mitt (MF M) who
we HAD to have.  We brought Spanky home, thinking he and Harpo would get
along great since they were only a month apart in age....about 2 days later,
Harpo vomited once and seemed a little tired for a day.  No big deal, we
thought.  The next day, Princess began exhibiting symptoms and it was
downhill from there.  Spanky had brought the dreaded ECE into our home.
Spanky was not terribly active at the pet store, but we thought it was
because he was so young and the stress from traveling.  We should have
known.
 
We lost Princess, despite multiple trips to the vet, all sorts of meds,
confirmation of the diagnosis from a local shelter refered to by our vet,
learning to give sub q fluids and 3+ weeks of intense supportive care.
Has this happened to anyone else?  I agree that it is dangerous, unethical
and irresponsible for MF to knowingly ship kits infected with ECE into
unsuspecting households.  There is no telling how many beloved older ferrets
have been lost to ECE because of their negligence.
 
Thanks for letting me jump in on that one!
Take care everybody (humans and ferts alike)
Tatia
[Posted in FML issue 2257]