>From:    Debbie Walker <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: attention Taylor Michigan
>PLEASE STOP BREEDING FERRETS, if you love them, there are too many out
>there, you can't give them away, and this is really becoming a problem.
>I don't care how great your genetic line is........and neither do the sad
>ferrets from MF.  You ARE just doing it for profit, no matter what you
>claim, and are no better than MF, you don't really love ferrets if you
>are breeding them.  This is a fact.  Face it.
 
Thanks for insulting a portion of the ferret world.  Most breeders are not
doing it for the money.  Nope.  No way.  No how.  Some probably are.  Hope
you aren't really meaning all private breeders should stop breeding.  That
would be real silly.  In about three seasons, then Marshall and the other
ranches would be a total monopoly.  That would be a bad thing.  The
shelters would be no less overloaded.  Not in the least.  "Its a fact.
Face it."
 
If you mean very specifically Michigan.  This was unfortuantely expected on
their legalization in that state.  Highly accurate predictions from those
outside of the state and perhaps from some inside.  It will subside within
a few more years as those that thought there was money all bail out.
 
>From:    daniel pelletier <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: on feline distemper shots
 
We do not need to arrive at a consensus.  This isn't something that is a
gray area.  It shouldn't be a controversy.  The ONLY area of controversy is
how readily to accept Galaxy-D as an alternative.  Check the vet books and
the manufacturer labels/literature.  Confused individuals are not
authorities.  We claim only to be passing along what we have learned
specifically from authorities.  If requested we will cite very plainly all
authoritative sources.
 
Fervac-D is the only canine distemper vaccine USDA approved for ferrets.
It does come from United Vaccines.  It is based on DistaMink which is a
canine distemper vaccine for domestic mink and also from United.
 
Ferravac-D or Ferrevac-D do not exist.
 
Galaxy-D is a possible alternative though not recommended for use in
ferrets by the manufacturer.  An earlier manufacturer was rather adamant
that it should NOT be used in ferrets.  But that was most likely from the
legal department.  We do not use this vaccine but the manufacturer has
changed and to the best of our knowledge currently has Fort Dodge on the
label.  (Thanks Lisa)
 
No real authority recommends feline distemper vaccinations for ferrets
at this time.  In the past it wasn't so clear.
 
As far as we are aware Fromm-D was replaced by Galaxy-D and has not been
available for years.  At least in the US - can not speak as certainly
about other countries.
 
Canine distemper should be considered 100% fatal.  Not quite but do not
count on any survivabilty even though there is an extremely expensive and
very unreliable experimental treatment that has been discussed in the first
edition of the Fox book.  We heartily subscribe to the opinion expressed by
all vets we've talked to that it is far better for an infected ferret to be
euthanized to relieve it of the misery.  We personally have had in our
shelter one of the very few survivors but the percentage that survived was
very low and almost all of them show neurological damage.  Those that
showed it were likely to have had it but now show it.  Oh and in case you
mised it, extremely expensive it destroyed a family finacially to somewhat
save a small percentage of their ferrets.  Very much destroyed.  The debts
will never get repaid type of destroyed.  Thats why the ferret ended up
with us after all.
 
That last paragraph has some original thought.  All others are very much
direct paraphrasing of real documentary sources.
 
-bi&d
--
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2789]