The reality of the matter is that the ferret community has not been able
to provide enough support even for our standard shelters and for enough
veterinary research to improve health care.  Many try; hopefully, many
more will try now that the needs have been so often discussed recently.
In some areas there are some shelters specifically for ADV positive
ferrets but those are few, and the need for sheltering of non-ADV positive
ferrets remains so very large... I can understand where the lesser death
sentence often is for shelters to not keep ADV positive ferrets alive
rather than risking contagion among the many shelter ferrets and the homes
to which they go.  The United test is a very reliable one, BTW.  It has
to have been a very painful conclusion to reach for people who sacrifice
so much of their own love, space, time, and money to helping ferrets in
need.  The work that shelter people do is amazing and they are precious.
 
I need sleep, so I hope that this makes sense enough.  Sometimes painful
choices have to be made to keep the greater number safe.  The experts
did not make their choices lightly, and they know this topic to an extent
that no one else can.
[Posted in FML issue 3825]