>Yesterday I took my ferret, Bo, to be tested for ADV. He is 2.5 yrs old >and has had several illnesses off and on since he was about 1.5 yrs old. >Well, Bo tested positive on the in-house twice so my vet is sending out >his blood. I guess this is a more thorough test. We are currently >waiting for those results. Apparently, there's a small chance that he >could've tested false-positive if he has a bacterial infection. We are >treating for a bacterial infection while we are waiting to find out the >results. My question is if Bo tests positive again, what is the usual >course of treatment. I am aware that ADV is incurable but what treatments >are common/available? I also know that I will need to have my other >ferrets tested. Thank you. Dear X: Unfortunately, ADV is a viral disease which currently has no treatment - though hope springs eternal. Unfortunately, the chance of a positive test as a result of a bacterial infection is fairly low. I would also recommend doing some baseline bloodwork - a complete blood count and chemistry profile. This should include a total protein and a level on the gammaglobulins. All of this goes to a definitive proof of Aleutian Disease. With kindest regards, Bruce Williams,DVM [The Ferret Health List can be found, read, and even joined :-) at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list -- Sukie] [Posted in FML issue 3584]