Lets start with Spay/Neuter surgeries.
 
First, I see no problem with techs doing the surgeries at MF.  You see
this sort of thing at your own dentist's office.  Your dental hygenist was
trained to clean your teeth.  He/she, unless trying for a DDS, most likely
has no where near the training to do what your dentist does, but you do
not request that your dentist do your cleaning.  Those techs at MF were
trained to do spay/neuter surgeries.  They have most likely done many
hundreds each, if not more, into the thousands.  Certainly a vet might
also do the surgery well, and perhaps in some cases better, but it cannot
be said that those techs aren't experienced enough to do them.  As to
botched surgeries, I have no doubt that it happens, but as with shipping
too early, considering the numbers of ferrets who come out of MF in rather
healthy shape, I would say that botched surgeries are not by any means
common, comparatively.  Of course it can be said that once is too often,
but we must try to keep things in perspective.  Demanding that a
well-trained tech is not good enough, when that tech most likely has done
hundreds of well-done surgeries is narrow-minded.
 
As to retired breeders going to a vet clinic and used to teach trainees to
do these same surgeries, surely you cannot demand that a vet does these
surgeries, and then become enflamed when MF sends their retired breeders
to a clinic so that VET trainees can learn to do them.  Sounds rather
self-defeating to me.  Certainly these trainees have spent hours
practicing on ferret cadavers, much like human medical students.  But also
like human medical students, these trainees will eventually have to do
their first surgery on a living animal.  In both cases, the student hopes
that they do it right, and these living beings make it through.  Those
ferrets need to be spayed/neutered.  And those people aren't getting paid
to do it, like your vet might.  But I've said it before, and I'll say it
again, medical research is benificial, and those who believe otherwise
are only looking out of one eye, only seeing one side.  Your own vet most
likely did their own first surgeries under similar circumstances.  Would
you deny them that experience before letting them put YOUR ferret under
the knife?
 
Just some thoughts.
[Posted in FML issue 3633]