GEnie Pet-Net Ferret topic >To: Dr. R.A. Robbinson >From: Randy S. Sellers, Strategic Coordinator D.E.F.F.B.A.M. >Re: Your response to the article, "The Domestic Ferret--Pet of the >Nineties" Dr. Robbinson, As an officer in the state pet ferret association and a ferret owner of many years I am tired of being victimized by misinformed opinions such as the one you've expressed. I'm even more tired of having to "clean up the mess" caused by this misinformation. I've seen far more than I care to of pet Domestic Ferrets being released back into the wild by well meaning owners who have been led to believe the ferret is a wild animal or animals euthanized or abandoned because people were told that, at the very first opportunity, this animal would attack their child for no reason. This kind of animal abuse should be shocking to any compassionate person and intolerable to a veterinarian. But you promote this. You talk about "editorial irresponsibility" because both sides of this "controversial area in public health" are not given equal representation. Pet Domestic Ferrets are only controversial because public health officials choose to perpetuate a controversy which should be long extinct. If the tone of Dr. Hoffman's article seems a little one sided maybe it is because the majority of existing data is one sided. You wouldn't consider it responsible editorial policy to give equal space to an article which said that AIDS was not really a serious disease. Certainly not! The information about rabies shedding which you say does not exist was actually published in "Research in Veterinary Medicine", 133 (8-9): 553-557, 1982. The article states: "The time limit of observed mortality. It was between 16 and 87 days inclusive." "Of the 11 dead subjects, 4 of the ferrets died after 2 days of illness, 2 after four days, 3 after five days, and 2 after six and seven days." "On the sub-maxillary salivary glands of the eleven corpses (of the ferrets who died of rabies), the rabies virus was never in evidence." "The most significant fact on the epidemiological level is certainly the total absence of re-excretion of the 'lupine' virus which represents a dead end in an actual epizootic outbreak." I can send you a copy of this article and others supporting the lack of a rabies threat from the Domestic Ferret if you'd like. There have been only 12 cases of rabies in the ferret is the entir nation since the early 1950's as opposed to 7 cases of rabies in dogs and 6 cases in cats in one year (1988) in Minnesota. There has NEVER been a case of ferret to human transmission of rabies...NEVER. As far as your concerns about the vicious nature of ferrets and their tendency to make unprovoked attacks on small children; I believe you have chosen the wrong forum to present them. These beliefs do not belong in a scientific or veterinary publication but rather in a book of classic animal myths right along side the stories of cats sucking the breath out of sleeping babies and snakes that steal milk from cows in their stalls. Domestic Ferrets do not attack small children. Just like airplanes do not crash. The biggest difference being that, when an airplane does crash, the focus is on trying to find out what happened and why. When a child is bitten, the entire species is condemned as being vicious, evil, animals that eat babies. Airplanes are statistically the safest form of travel and ferrets are the least likely of the domestic carnivores (and most large herbivores) to cause serious injury. These are the facts! I am always baffled by the arguments from the anti-ferret contingent. Cries that ferrets are wild, or wild by nature, that ferrets are a rabies threat, that ferrets attack small children. Especially when those statements come from people who have no problem with the keeping of wild captured exotic birds (parrots and macaws) which cause significantly more injuries to humans and other pets, or the cute little bunny which is genetically identical to the wild rabbit and cannot be vaccinated against rabies (a disease over 300 times more susceptible to). These arguments are simply not supported by any scientific or statistical evidence yet they persist. You can not twist and contort the truth until it fits inside your narrow little prejudices. I agree with the sentiments expressed in an earlier publication by Dr. Marshall that it is time the veterinary and public health communities stop damaging their credibility by opposing Domestic Ferrets as pets and focus that energy to making sure those being kept are healthy and their owners educated. This will do more to prevent problems with the animal than any anti-ferret campaign. An underground movement is far more difficult to deal with than an open, regulated population. This was evidenced by the great Prohibition and the current war on drugs. Ferret clubs and organizations have provided literally hundreds of pages of information refuting these myths. Yet, with the exception of the much discredited report by Drs. Constantine and Kizer which you cite, we have yet to see any overwhelming scientific data supporting these allegations. If you have any we would like to see it. We showed you ours, now let's see yours. D.E.F.F.B.A.M., as well as most other ferret organizations advocate responsible ferret ownership. Many is the case were we discourage a prospective ferret owner because we feel the person is not willing or able to make the commitment to learning what needs to be known about the animal. The Domestic Ferret is not the perfect pet for everyone and we do not want to see "two ferrets in every home". We whole-heartedly support the statements of both the AMA and AVMA that no small child should be left unattended with any pet, no matter how trusted. As a closing note I am curious, Your response was written on University of Minnesota letterhead. Does this mean that the opinions expressed are those of the U of M College of Veterinary Medicine or, like your colleague Dr. Diesch, simply your personal opinion expressed on department letterhead? Randy S. Sellers Strategic Coordinator D.E.F.F.B.A.M. cc: Linda A. Grassie, Editor FDA Veterinarian Dr. Gerald B. Guest, Center for Veterinary Medicine, FDA Dr. Freddie Ann Hoffman Petnet pet forum, GEnie computer system INTERNET Ferret Mailing List [Another "INTERNET Ferret Mailing List" ;-)] [Posted in FML 0180]