>Do you do your own ADV testing and vaccinations or do you rely on a vet >to do these basics? > >[JY] Everyone has to work within their individual or organizational scope of abilities. I will not say that you are wrong in your analyses of any shelters or individuals expenditures in caring for their ferrets; however, I must point out that there are many factors other than money that you have omitted in your analysis. Many state, county and municipal laws prohibit the sale of Rabies Vaccines except to Veterinarians. Most of these entities require that the vaccine be administered by or under the supervision of a State Licensed Veterinarian. Many others prohibit the use of Rabies Vaccines any animal other than private domestic livestock. The issuance of a Rabies Vaccination Tag can only be issued by a Licensed Veterinarian in many states. Many municipalities also require a pet license, which requires the rabies tag and license tag be affixed to the carrier during transportation, and affixed to the leash or collar of the pet when outside the carrier in public. These laws are mandated equally for dogs, cats and ferrets. As I said, these requirements vary, depending on your locality. Not everyone is trained and/or equipped to handle a severe vaccine reaction. Unfortunately, adverse reactions, as seldom as they occur, do still happen. I only have the numbers from our local vets, but a 3-5% reaction is not uncommon. I do not like to use figures because any statistician can tell you that figures lie, and liars figure. Canine distemper vaccines can be bought from any number of pet supply firms; but again, are you really prepared for a severe anaphylactic reaction? Sadly, the oral swab testing used for ADV has to great a variance in test results to be the decisive conclusion for a positive/negative ADV determination, especially in a populated environment such as a shelter. The blood test has been proven by our vet to provide the best tool to date in ADV testing. We tested 10 ADV positive ferrets with both tests; 10 blood samples returned ADV+, only eight of the oral swab tests returned ADV+ and two were ADV-. All samples were taken by a highly qualified veterinarian under controlled methodology. That's proof enough for me! Yes, I'm sure that most all shelter operators are very cognizant of every dollar they spend. I know we at SAFE are ; but these questions must be asked: Are we in compliance with the prevailing laws governing rabies vaccinations? Are we applying good science and sound judgement in administering the canine distemper vaccines ourselves? Do we really trust the efficacy of the ADV test method we chose? SAFE is blessed with a wonderful support group, friends of ferrets and fantastic veterinarians and clinic staff. Our mission is as complex as it is simple; Provide - Promote - Protect. The one question I have to answer is: Which is more important to me personally and to the organization I spend money for; The lives of the ferrets in our care or the money spent on them? Ferret Lives vs. Money. The ferrets win every time. I do apologize to all for being loquacious, and to anyone I may have offended. Dooks and Blessings, Rick White, Treasurer San Antonio area Ferret Enthusiasts (SAFE) Chapter of the American Ferret Association, Inc. (AFA) Tel: 210-661-9195 or 210-661-0608 Come visit the SAFE Web Site..._www.saferrets.org_ (http://www.saferrets.org/) Great Ferret Products................_Fuzzy Sleep Center_ (http://fuzzysleepcenter.terrabox.com/) Free Information Download........._The Ferret Owner Manual_ (http://www.thechipster.com/fert-man.html) Texas Ferrets & Rabies ............_TX. Regs. Rabies/Ferrets_ (http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/zoonosis/REGS/rabiesvacc/new.pdf) [Posted in FML issue 4845]