In response to Troy Lynn:
 
If your ferret vet makes house calls, you are REALLY LUCKY!!!  While we have
a couple of vets in this area that do make housecalls, I'm not sure they
have the ferret knowledge required.  This is not a put down to the vets-
ferrets are different, we all know that.
 
I travel 20 miles to see my ferret vet - and while I know that I can get him
on emergencies even on his "off" days, I seriously doubt he would come to my
house!
 
And you're right - people with ferrets with active or recovered ECE, have a
responsibility to unsuspecting owners and pet stores - these people
shouldn't be touching/handling pet store ferrets, ferrets in a vet's waiting
room, ferrets at functions, etc.  It's been 3 years now since the initial
outbreak in my house, and I'm just now starting to feel comfortable handling
unexposed ferrets.  I've had no problem telling other ferret owners not to
touch my ferrets in the past.
 
I think it must be a shared responsibility - there are protocols for
contagious diseases and unknowns in animal hospitals - regardless of whether
a vet knows of ECE or not - they follow these protocols for dogs and cats
with unknowns - and should do the same with ferrets.
 
OTOH, I think it might not be such a bad idea for shelter vets to visit the
shelters they take care of - at least once a year.
 
(These are just my opinions)
 
Debbie Riccio
[Posted in FML issue 1536]