I just have to say a few things - one, I think perhaps the bug probably has nothing to do with whether we keep our pets inside or outside. After all, distemper is still an issue in ferrets in the UK, raised outdoors or not. I think the virus simply has originated in the US. We have many more animals on the loose than in the UK as well, and more wildlife - giving more opportunities for viruses to be carried, mutate, and eventually jump over from a vector or host to ferrets. Given the wide spread of it, it seems to be everywhere - likely carried by cats or dogs? Whatever this is, it's scaring me, and I don't want to be affected. I'm not sure that there honestly is anything we can do. Even shelters that have quarantines and bleaching in effect are being affected. I wonder if Bruce Williams or any other lab/pathologist has requested tissues? Laryssa [Posted in FML 6196]