I am writing this post in parts, because it is long, but also because I think it is easier to read posts if they are broken up. I am starting with this explanation, so BIG will know to keep them as separate posts, even though they are all related. In the last 2 weeks a number of people have sent me a link to a video that says it shows a ferret with ADV. I will share the link for those who have not seen it, but I want to warn people the video is graphic, and can be upsetting to view. I also want to point out for any who look, but don't bother to read what is written on the page, the person who posted the video says the ferret was euthanized after the video was taken. http://youtube.com/watch?v=ca2qC3vohYw Some people have sent it to me simply to ask if I had seen it. Others want to know if I think it is a ferret with ADV. Since I have gotten multiple emails about it, I thought I would address it here. I do not know who put this up, or anything about the ferret in the video. Could this be a graphic display of what can happen with ADV - YES. Can something like this happen in a short period of time to a ferret that has ADV - YES. That said, if I was shown the video with no information, and asked what I thought was the matter with this ferret, I might say a spinal chord injury. It might be the camera angle playing tricks, but to me, it looks like there is something wrong with the spine. I am not saying the video is identified incorrectly - just that is what it looks like to me when I view it. However, I am not a vet, and can only base my thoughts on this short video which is not posted in the best resolution. And, as I have now viewed it multiple times, and thought about it a lot, I can not imagine why the person who posted it would lie. Now, one more question that I get asked - do all ferrets with ADV end up this way - NO. Fortunately, some ferrets with ADV will live normal lives and die from other causes. But, there is no way to know which ones will, and which will succumb to ADV. ADV can be a horrible disease, and it can cause a number of different symptoms. The "classic" symptoms are a general wasting of muscle mass, lethargy, and hind end weakness. In the video we see this to an extreme. And, it can happen quickly, especially in an older ferret that has had ADV for a while. I saw similar things with my Hershey, who I often talk about. Although not my first loss to ADV, Hershey was my first ferret to get sick. Very soon after exposure, he began loosing weight, despite eating. He also became lethargic, and had some hind end weakness. For the first 1 1/2 years after exposure, he would have problems like this every few months. I would manage to pull him back with supportive care, but it was always only a temporary situation. We did eventually find the right combination of medicines to help Hershey live out the last 2 years of his life in pretty good physical condition, although at the end, he again began to fail. This time, there was no spark in his eyes, and no sign that he had any fight left. I knew it was time to help him leave, instead of try to pull him back. ADV can cause other problems, though, that may not be quite so visible. It can cause the slow and steady destruction of internal organs like the liver, kidney, spleen, pancreas, lungs and even the heart. The disease causes the formation of immune complexes, that can deposit in the organs and decrease their efficiency. These complexes can also deposit along the walls of the blood vessels and arteries, and weaken them, causing them to leak. This is one problem I have observed first hand. My first loss to ADV, Buster, had this problem. He was doing fine, and then one night I noticed bruising on his body. The next day his gums were pale, and he was lethargic. We immediately went to the vet. He felt there was likely nothing we could do, and Buster was put to sleep. We did a necropsy (I was present), and found he was bleeding out everywhere. It was difficult to get decent tissue samples to send for pathology, because the small blood vessels in the organs had all basically disintegrated. Much of tissue in the organs was like a jelly as a result. So, yes, ADV can kill, and it can be a horrible death. There is no way to cure it at this time. Ferrets with ADV can sometimes be helped with supportive care, but that is just a Band-Aid - not a cure. My advice to every ferret owner is to learn what ADV is and how to avoid exposing your ferrets to it. Further, all ferrets need to be tested. The only way to know if a ferret has ADV is by testing them. So, the message that goes with this video is correct. Please, test your ferrets for ADV. -- Danee DeVore International Ferret Congress Health Issues Coordinator http://www.ferretcongress.org ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know! For more information visit: http://www.ferretadv.com You can help fight ADV! Visit: http://help4adv.terrabox.com/ [Posted in FML issue 5217]