Carrie wrote:
>My albino ferret itches allot but
>that is the only sign between the two girls.  They are both less than a
>year old.  I called my vet and they obviously weren't up-to-date on ADV
>testing.  Said the ferret will have to be put to sleep to draw the blood,
>blood sent out, plus an office visit, she was GUESSING about $150 per
>ferret!!!  Vet asked me what ADV was so I don't think I would take them
>here anyways.  I will find a more knowledgeable vet, but could her
>pricing be correct?!?!
 
First, it sounds like you may be confusing Adrenal Disease, sometimes
called AD, with Aleutians Disease Virus, called ADV.  Itching a lot
can be a symptom of adrenal problems, as is loss of fur, and a dry and
brittle coat.  There is a blood test that can be done to test for adrenal
problems called the Tennessee Panel, but it is not always accurate.
Surgery is usually the best treatment for adrenal problems, and many vets
prefer to just do the surgery when symptoms are present.  There is a good
discussion of Adrenal Disease at the following URL:
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/aae.html
 
ADV is a virus that, to simplify things, is for ferrets what HIV and AIDS
are for humans.  While there are many differences between ADV and AIDS,
both are caused by a virus spread through bodily fluids, and both cause
autoimmune problems in the body they infect.  In the case of ADV, the
virus causes the body's immune system to go into overdrive, producing an
overload of antibodies that do not fight the virus.  These antibodies are
usually what cause the problems associated with ADV.
 
Currently, there are 3 tests commercially available for testing for ADV.
All 3 are antibody tests.  This means that they don't test for the
presence of the virus, but for the presence of the antibodies the body
makes as a reaction to the virus.
 
United Vaccines offers the CEP test for ADV.  This test has been around
for many years, and has been used quite a bit.  While no test is ever
100% accurate, this test has been proved to be very accurate.
 
The test requires a small blood sample.  Many people choose to collect
the sample at home and send it themselves, as a sufficient sample can be
obtained by clipping a claw short.  For those who are not comfortable
with this method, you can alternatively have your vet collect the sample
for you.  Having the vet draw the blood sample will cost more, because
the vet will charge for the anesthesia and the supplies, and possibly for
the office visit.  United's charge for actually running the test is only
$10.00 for the first sample and $8.00 for each additional sample.  As you
can see, it is not an expensive test, although your vet may charge more
to cover his/her costs.
 
Additionally, the samples must be shipped overnight to United, and
depending on how far you live from WI, the cost of the shipping will
vary.
 
There is an excellent discussion of obtaining and shipping samples to
United on the Ferret Haven website.  The URL is:
http://www.ferrethaven.org/advtest.html
 
There is another company that offers ADV testing - Avecon Diagnostics.
Avecon has 2 tests, the ELISA and the POCT.  With the ELISA, you need
to send a saliva sample to Avecon.  The POCT or Point of Care Test (also
called the Quicktest) is one you can perform yourself at home, much like
a home pregnancy test.  Both of these test are new, and therefore have
not had the extensive use to prove their accuracy that the United test
has.  And while some problems have been reported, both tests seem to be
fairly accurate when saliva is used as the testing medium.  Most of the
reported problems have occurred when the test has been run on a blood
sample.  The cost of the ELISA test is $12.00 per sample.  Here is the
URL for the Avecon ELISA test, which has information on collecting the
samples and sending them to Avecon:
http://www.avecon.com/advabelisa.html
 
From the above page, you can also navigate to page with information on
the POCT test and how to order the test kits.  The cost is $15.00 per kit
for 1 to 4 kits.  There are discounts for larger orders.
 
There is a lot of good information on the web about ADV.  White Russian's
website has copies of several articles by veterinary professionals on ADV
that you can print out and show to your vet.  Wolfy has a webpage with
some very simple and easy to understand ADV Basics.  The AFA website also
has some good ADV information.
 
The International Ferret Congress (IFC) has a page with critical links,
which include links to most of the ADV sites I have mentioned, and so can
be a good place to start from.  The URL for the IFC is:
http://www.ferretcongress.org
 
I hope this information is helpful to you.  If you have any questions,
please feel free to write me at my other email address -
[log in to unmask]
 
Danee
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit:
http://www.geocities.com/russiansmom
[Posted in FML issue 4019]