Ferret health care is at risk.  Every time you take your ferret to a vet
the chances are that it will have to be treated with drugs not licensed
for ferrets.  Your vet will decide what is the most appropriate treatment
in the light of his/her experience of the range of drugs open to use.  Up
to now vets have been happy to share those decisions with owners, ferrets
clubs and various websites and publications.  After years of trying to
work with vets to build up a rapport with vets over treatment of ferrets
for various illnesses it all could be threatened because three people -
Eric and Ruth Corbett, and Cliff Bull - have taken in on themselves to
judge that treatments are wrong and have contacted vets to threaten
action against them.  None are vets, none have responded to any requests
from any individual or welfare organisation for evidence of their
concern, yet they feel THEY are the appropriate people to contact YOUR
vets about YOUR ferrets.
 
This has all arisen over the use of fiprinol, the active ingredient of
Frontline (which for many of us is the trusted method of dealing with
fleas and ticks) for ear mites.  Some vets use it as drops in the ear
canals.  This is also mentioned in the BSAVA Manual of Exotic Pets and on
various websites.  Fiprinol is not licensed for this use but vets have
the professional right to resort to off-label drugs where they feel it is
most appropriate to do so.  If there is evidence that this should not be
practised no-one has any concern about publishing information which
corrects currently available information, but the Corbetts and Mr Bull
have never been willing to divulge their supposed sources of concern.
 
The bottom line is how do you feel that if your vet feels he/she might
receive threatening letter when they have tried to help your ferret from
someone you don't know, they don't know, nor who knows anything about
your ferret?  And this from people who claim to be concerned for ferret
welfare?
 
[Moderator's note: Seems like I'm taking issue with UK posters today.  In
the US there are no medicines approved for ferrets either, other than
vaccinations.  But vets are certainly free to use off-label drugs and do
not fear prosecution from the government.  The off-label drug laws are in
place primarily to protect the food supply, and ferrets aren't a part of
the human food chain.
 
I've certainly heard of some vets being cautious due to fears of a law
suit brought by a CLIENT if things go wrong with off-label use, but
there really is little alternative to off-label use.  Are things really
so different in the UK?
 
P.S. Your example of fiprinol is doubly odd in this case since it's not
even classified as a drug in this country and thus is not subject to U.S.
Food & Drug Administration regulation!  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 4387]