Debi - I have tried to clarify my thoughts to you privately, to no avail, so this is 'for the record'. At no time have I ever made any claims whatsoever to the effect that the information you gave, in an of itself, regarding the protocol for pre-treating a ferret prior to administering a canine distemper shot was "WRONG" (although I did express great concern about the *amount* of medicine you suggest dumping into a ferret prior to administering a cd vaccine shot). It was your bold, SHOUTING statement, "ALWAYS PRE-TREAT" that very much disturbed me and apparently a number of other readers as well. Debi wrote: >First and foremost (and I think I'm saying this for all ferret rescues ), >all rescue/shelter operators first obligation is to EDUCATE- THE- PUBLIC EXACTLY!! You just captured, in your very own words, what I've been trying so hard to help you understand - In my opinion, those who *truly* do care about educating ferret people will do so with AS MUCH information as possible and that means providing MULTIPLE OPTIONS of care for people to chose from - even if that means providing information you may not necessarily be 100% in agreement with but that has been shown to be an effective treatment method. From that, the receipients of your information will then be able to make an "educated" decision from unbiased CHOICES and not just YOUR personal opinions. As a shelter operator, you bear the sometimes enormous responsibility of educating those who see you as an authority on ferret care and therefore it is essential that you provide those people with as much non-biased facts and CHOICES as possible. Personally, I would much rather be given a variety of information on ANY subject so that I can take everything with me, do my own research, and THEN draw my own conclusions rather than be fed only part of the puzzle (someone's personal opinions only). THAT is NOT education; that is "selective teaching" and, in my opinion, does more harm than good in the long run! Debi wrote: >We give our opinion & advice in hopes of helping someone who needs it... >Our "ADVICE" comes from talking to vets, ferret breeders, other ferret >rescues/shelters, the Internet, books ... personal experience, and even >other ferret owners. That is great but again, what I'm merely trying to stress is that giving "advice" (more like personal opinions) is not the same as providing education and I wish that you would consider "educating" yourself and hopefully then others, too, about ALTERNATIVE CHOICES to vaccinations and the vaccination "pre-treatment" protocol you so adamantly 'teach'. By not providing options (that you know are available but don't support), you are essentially saying, "This is the ONLY way this can be done" and are being very close-minded - THAT is not an educator; that is a dictator! When "educating" people who come to you, do you not provide more than one name of knowledgeable ferret vets? And don't you provide choices regarding various ferret foods (since there is more than just one good ferret kibble but some are better than others)? Or do you not give those people any choices of vets or food either???? This is no different than if a you were to walk into a doctor's office and be told by your doctor, "Here is what is ailing you and this is the *only* way to cure you." What if you did not like or agree with your doctor's treatment recommendation? What if the treatment option was contrary to your personal religious, spiritual, or moral belief system? I'm sure you'd probably start seeking out other opinions and treatment alternatives from other medical professionals then, in an effort to find a treatment option with which you agreed and were comfortable. Do you think you might feel a bit of resentment toward the doctor if you found out later that this doctor KNEW of alternative treatment options but never discussed them with you? What if you chose a procedure you were not comfortable with, only to find out later that you *may* have been able to avoid nasty side effects from that particular procedure had you known about OTHER alternative treatments? Even worse, what if this happened to a family member or close friend and then that person died? (in reality, that is called "medical malpractice). Would you consider that medical professional then a "good educator?" Would you trust that doctor again in the future to give you advice? I do not disagree with the motivation behind what you are trying to accomplish but what I do NOT support and think is a grave injustice to ferrets and the ferret community is your insistence that one particular protocol be adhered to simply because it's YOUR personal preference, despite what sound medical information numerous reputable and knowledgeable ferret owners, veterinarians, and shelter operators can present about BOTH sides to the "to vaccinate or not to vaccinate" debate. I've never once said NOT to pre-treat or to NOT vaccinate a ferret but you will also never hear me say, "You MUST pre-treat or you MUST vaccinate". What I choose to do instead, in the name of "education", is share with others in a non-threatening, non-judgmental way, materials that include both pro's and con's and then allow the receiver to come to his/her own conclusions, based on what THEY (not me) feel is the best option of care for their ferret(s). Have I always agreed with the choice(s) others have made about their ferret care? ABSOLUTELY NOT but I do have great peace knowing that I initially did my part by providing as much information toward one's decision as I possibly could (which included as many options as I was consciously aware of at the time), without regret. If you truly do want to be a *good* edcuator to other ferret owners and potential ferret owners, PLEASE PLEASE allow yourself to be open-minded enough to consider that there could be other ways (or several) to attacking a problem. If you don't *think* there are other alternative choices on any given topic, spend some time researching before you draw that conclusion but in almost any case you can find several alternatives. Jennifer and the dynamic duo [Posted in FML issue 5123]