Last week we were notified that some of the ADV ferrets have been traced to a breeder here in Minnesota. I have some questions about this. Being a foster mom for our local shelter and involved with our ferret club, I am in contact with a lot of ferret people. Yesterday, I read a post on the FML that stated "strong evidence suggests that many of the infected ferrets were bred in Minnesota". We would like to stop ADV from becoming of epidemic proportions here and therefore need more information. Have the MN breeder(s) been notified? Have they stopped the practice of breeding and selling ferrets? Before I found the local shelter, I purchased two ferrets from different Minnesota breeders. Are they ones with the disease? This identity of the infected breeders probably should not be posted on the FML but when it is suggested that ADV has been traced to here, how do we know those breeders have been informed and are taking proper precautions against further spreading of the disease? Our shelter vets will be holding clinics very soon in different parts of the Twin City Metro area for testing of ADV. As we do not know of any cases in MN, and as the symptoms are so easily mistaken for something else, this seems to be the best way of ascertaining whether or not we really have a problem. Two states have been confirmed with outbreaks and three with suspicion. We are glad to know there may be a problem here but I seem to have heard of other eastern states with ADV and wonder if all the states have been identified on a public forum such as this so other shelters or organizations can consider hosting testing clinics before this becomes even more widespread? If not an organization hosting a clinic, then, so that individuals can be informed so they can get their own testing done by their vet. If you would like more information about our testing clinics, please check out the FROLIC website at www.freehomepages.com/frolic the time and places of the testing clinics will be posted there next week. Also check for more updates, an ADV hotline is in the planning amongst other things. Debbie F [Posted in FML issue 2945]