There were quite a few questions on ECE raised. Lets bring some reason back to the issue. If you examine these couple exceprts from yesterday's FML you will have to question the call to expose your ferrets to ECE. Many of us in Virginia had ECE pass through. Most of us have beaten it back. Our ferrets were exposed when we got more ferrets from a local shelter. But once we cured those two no more ferrets have come down with the disease. We did not have any breeders then but none of those we've brought in nor any other ferret that has passed through has come down with the disease. >From: Pat Ball <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Questions to Vet's >Does it prevent ECE from doing all the destruction to the ferrets digestive >system that, from my understanding, ECE causes? Doctor Kawasaki explained to us the damage ECE does to the digestive system, it is traumatic. >From: BRUCE <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Ferret Pictures >Before the ECE slowed Bandit and Kirby down >Dooks to all, and thank you,all who have sent along advice and prayers with >this horrible ECE Bandit and Kirby have. Wouldn't wish this on anyone. >It's worse than a some biological weapons I've heard about! Those ferrets that had ECE were sickly the rest of their lives. One has since passed on and the other seems to be following. It may be true that ECE has gotten into a pet store in Maryland. Could have been from some body who came into the store and bought some pet food. Could have come in on the person who filed this report on the FML. She does admit she has ECE in her house. Their is still no evidence that Marshall Farms has ECE or that it has "infiltrated" (or infected) the distribution system itself. But it may have since there is also no evidence it has not. >This virus will not be going away any time soon (I've dealth with it 3.5 >years now) and there is no more funding to support research into ECE. It >has yet to be cultured, which is the first step in getting a vaccine made. Regardless exposing your ferrets to a potentially fatal disease is not the right answer. I will not expose my human children to diseases such as herpes and AIDS because they to will not be going away anytime soon. I will likewise not expose my ferrets to ECE. Dr. Williams has said the same thing several months back while he had time to post here. I suspect most vets here will agree as well. ECE can be an extremely expensive and debilitating experience. I don't feel most ferret owners have a few hundred dollars to waste. I don't think most ferret owners would like to see their ferrets with their digestive systems rotting away. Months of their short lives would be taken by painful dehydration and wasting away. It is likely that the unfortunately inevitable end would be hurried along. Loss in the middle and loss at the end. Then it appears to me the answer is to raise the funds and start work on this. Maybe LIFE and STAR* will volunteer, they claim to be such large ferret organizations so I think they would be a logical choice. I would endorse and support them in this goal. I welcome issues based debate on this but please no aspersions on my wife or me personally. We've had too much of that. bill killian zen and the art of ferrets [Posted in FML issue 1630]