>Linda, great idea! Those of us who can't attend can see that info on the >website, too! "Ose": what a great way to explain it, Debi! They have to be avoided (except to treat seizures) when insulinoma or diabetes is present, and having folks know that as well as considering the popular names (honey, sugar, etc) can only help ferrets. Ah, I used to rescue bats which got themselves trapped in buildings for release. Hind end weakness in bats ("down" bats which can't hang but may still be able to fly) can be from rabies or from the more common cause of poisoning by individuals who used bad judgement -- since it typically tortures the bats but doesn't kill them so is a horrible thing to do -- esp. to an animal type which is in danger and which prevents far more disease than it causes due to our bats being the absolutely best mosquito eaters. Bats are best left alone when hibernating, breeding, and nursing, then in other times one watches for how they move in and out, waits for them to leave and seals up the holes -- same as is most effective when squirrels get in.) In downed bats about 15% have rabies *IF* the old numbers till hold, but it is possible for an "up" bat to have it. Yes, in humans whose rabies was not detected till it was too late the gray bat strain of the virus is a common finding in the U.S. (Note that rabies is rare but terrible.) Yes, we do NOT have wild vampire bats in the U.S.; nor do we have wild fruit bats. Other sources of exposure include (but are not limited to): domestic animals that roam and have not been vaccinated (a COMMON source of exposure), raccoons, skunks, foxes, groundhogs (It's unusual for rodents to be vector animals but these are in our state.), cattle in some areas, etc. A number of years back a deer around here had it on testing, from what our local animal control person told me then. It is wise to use precautions around any wild animal, stray animal, or pet that is not vaccinated and allowed to wander. There are still some areas in the U.S. without rabies. I don't know if it's still the case but a few years back Suffolk and Nassau Counties on Long Island were still without terrestrial rabies (i.e. It may be there in some bats that flew in). In rabies the disease passes up nerves to the brain, then it multiplies, after which is passes down nerves to places like the salivary glands. It is that third step which makes the animal contagious. (Exception: when species that can catch it by eating infected neurological tissue like brains eat enough of those. I know that there have been studies showing that ferrets and cats are among the species that do NOT catch it this way; don't know about humans.) It does not take a bite to cause an infection: infected saliva getting into eyes or an open wound can do it. The rate of progression depends on multiple factors such as location of bite, size of individual, etc. There is a case mentioned in an article that someone at the CDC sent me years ago of a woman who developed a strain found in Asia, but it had been 8 years since she had been there. Then again, multiple bites to the face or neck of a small being, from an individual who has a large infection will progress rapidly. Bill wrote: >Since 1980, a total of 21 (58%) of the 36 cases of rabies diagnosed in >the United States have been associated with bat variants of the rabies >virus..." and "Bats are increasingly implicated as important wildlife >reservoirs for varients of rabies virus transmitted to humans..." [MMWR, >Jan 16 1998, Vol 47, No 1] Yes! Also, people do bring in strays, raccoons may enter homes, etc. Some individuals can't be vaccinated due to specific or multiple reactions to vaccines, or due to taking immune suppressing drugs, or due to a disease preventing use. Otherwise, vaccinate! [Posted in FML issue 3672]