In response to Randie's posting questioning the reports of the abusive ferret farm. Below is the moderator's response on the Ferret Health List. [Reposted with permission. BIG] [There were two reports - that of the investigator and that of the veterinarian who viewed the videotapes - please don't conflate the two, it causes confusion and leads to misinformation. "Looked as if" is not the same as actually is. In fact, there are a number of diseases of the eyes that can cause the eyeball to rupture. And certainly any kind of puncture wound could do that, and a severe enough infection could feasibly do that as well. Abscesses do rupture, an abscess in the eye could have ruptured. It is common practice for large scale ferret farms to use technicians or trained individuals to perform those procedures. I would hope that they are overseen by a vet, however, the people performing the procedures are not veterinarians themselves. It is perfectly possible that a dull razor blade was used over and over again. As long as it cuts through tissue it can be used. Razor blades for shaving are not thrown away the first time they are used. The issue is that it should not have been used for obvious health and ethical reasons. There are 10 barns, and I believe the report/s stated that there were areas where the ambiant temperatures were high. And I suspect the ferrets in those areas may not have survived. Sometimes we hear about things that are so horrific the mind has difficulty accepting the reality. - Moderator (TD)] [Posted in FML 7178]