Wow, to my knowledge Marshall Farms has never treated anyone like this, by passing the buck off to the store, etc, as you said PV did to you. But I could be wrong. When you deal with such huge companies, there is always the chance of running into your typical "desk jerk" who replies with such ill tact. I guess that could happen with any company. I have heard of numurous experiences with Marshall Farms regarding deaf ferrets that's nothing short of positive. They are sympathetic, caring, and more than generous in offering financial options for reimbursement. Where deaf ferrets are concerned, Marshall Farms is not "bad"... in fact I credit them with going above and beyond what they "could". This has not always been so. For those that had inconsisent experiences with them years ago, I am aware of that. I have no experience with PV and genetic defects or deafness. I'd love to hear some. I"m sorry that you had such a response from PV. A simple yes/no we will or will not cover deafness would have sufficed. I'd rather get a blunt "no we don't cover that" than to get the response that you did. Wolfy [Posted in FML issue 4307]