After reading 6 days of FML's in one sitting, I had some observations
about the discussions on ECE.  (I hope I don't regret this...) I was
really glad to see such informative discussion on this serious topic.
 
#1. The thought of my ferrets getting ECE scares the sh** out of me! (no
pun intended!)
 
#2. ECE may hit ferrets that have compromised immune systems really hard,
but then a simple cold can kill a ferret if it is already sick.  I almost
lost my then 5 1/2 year old Tillie (with adrenal problems) when I adopted
a ferret that developed a cold a day after bringing her home and she gave
the cold to Tillie.  My vet said to give up on Tillie, but I didn't.  It
took a lot of effort. She's now 7.
 
#3. ECE is *not* everywhere that the FML is read!  To my knowledge, we
have had no cases in the Northwest (yes, Ferrets Anonymous reported 1 case
in Southern Oregon 1 1/2 years ago but ECE was not confirmed and no more
cases were reported. This report is suspect.) But it only takes 1 incident
to change this.  The OFA gets 100's of ferrets every year.  What if one
of these came from an area that had an outbreak?  We quarantine new
arrivals but given the tenacity of ECE, is this enough?
 
#4. My heart goes out to those of you who currently have an outbreak or
have worked very hard at keeping it in check.  And my sympathies to those
owners whose ferrets died from this horrible bug. Despite the advice given
by several extremely knowledgeable and well respected sources, I would
never, *never* intentionally expose my ferrets to ECE!  Exposing my 11
ferrets to a bug that can potentially cause problems for them and their
friends for their entire life is not for me. I will do my best to keep my
ferrets away from the ECE bug and hope that a vaccine is developed soon.
 
#5. Given how easily ECE can spread, how can anyone be certain that pet
store ferrets don't have ECE?  What if the person who handled the kit
30 minutes ago had ECE virus on their clothes? I don't think this is
necessarily a safe assumption.
 
#6. Dr. Williams, is there any recent news in your quest for answers?  I
would like to hand out an updated report at our Ferret Fun Match on July
16th so that everyone can be made aware of the situation. (BTW, I doubt
if I will take my ferrets to this just because of ECE.  I will be content
to work at the information booth.) Is there any sanitation agent that we
should use in the common areas at the Fun Match between ferrets (such as on
the scales when we weigh for heaviest/lightest ferret)?
 
        -Carla
[Posted in FML issue 1248]