Hi Folks. I have to say, I am surprised by people's ability to misread things, or at least to read into things so well. I must say, I have taken exception to things Lisette has said in the past, but this has only led to more productive discussion. The retaliations of some of the people on this list to her comments regarding sanitation are unbelieveable. In the first place, at no time do I recall Lisette making any outright claims. The only things she claimed were that SHE had witnessed poor practices at HER vet, and that no one so far had written to her about a vet that had GOOD practices, only about poor ones. She then stated that based on that evidence she could only make certain very uncomfortable conclusions. This is perfectly understandable, and I personally took this post as an invitation for those of us who's vets do practice proper sanitation, etc., to respond. And I am CERTAIN that Lisette is probably just as happy to learn of so many GOOD vets as she was disappointed to hear of so many poor ones. And second, rather than calling her a liar, or insinuating that she is making inflamatory statements, or assuming that your interpretation of her statements is true, however far it is from what she actually said, why don't we try to have a good discussion about this? It is, after all, a matter concerning ALL ferret lovers, and in fact, anyone who has the best interest of ANY of their pets in mind. Though Lisette may not have had enough information, or a good test group, to get really proper statistics, her heart and her head were in the right place when she brought up her concerns. And I believe her ONLY reason for doing so was to help raise awareness. Too many of us might take for granted the thought that, "Of course my vet does that, don't all vets?" without ever seeing it actually happen, or being certain at all. Lisette's question provoked each of us to consider the habits of our vets, and for that, she should be commended. Thanks Lisette!!! On that note, I'd like to add another good vet, name and location and all. I use Pitts Veterinary Hospital, in Lincoln, NE. And I know I am not the only person on this list who does so. They are terrific. Sinks in every room, the vets not only wash their hands between visitors to each room, but I have personally witnessed them washing their hands between handling one of my ferrets and another. I have never seen them disinfect the examination surface before my visits. But that is because as soon as my guys are in the cage and headed out of the room, they are already scrubbing the counter. And I have been asked to wait even though a room was empty because it had not been long enough since the last examination in that room. Add this to the fact that these vets are REALLY good, extremely experienced, and wonderful with my ferrets, and we have a vet whom I would recommend to ANYONE who lives in the Lincoln area! One last thing. I used to work in day care. While at the infant/toddler center, I was introduced to stuff called Vi-Rid. This is a non-toxic, OSHA certified disinfectant, which we used on changing tables, high-chair trays, toys, and anything else which might touch baby hands, lips, etc. I don't know if it would transfer to veterinary uses, but I can't imagine why it wouldn't. The sanitary practices involved are much the same, and in order for it to be OSHA certified, the disinfectant must be effective for any and all spreadable diseases, including blood-born pathogens such as hepatitis and AIDS.... Melissa Barnes www.geocities.com/lostferrets [Posted in FML issue 3236]