Let me clarify about ECE in Spokane especially since Scott's post inadvertently co-mingled information from my earlier post: Dr. Stauber told me (in a phone call to me) that Jean had brought in ferrets to be treated for ECE during the year prior to the attack. I don't remember the exact date, but it was approximately 8 months before the attack. Jean told me when I visited in December that she believed it was longer ago than that. This is the reference to ECE that I repeated on the FML. Dr. Stauber then told me that there was an outbreak of ECE at his clinic when Jean's ferrets were brought in for treatment. Although coincidental, I find this particular proof less than convincing because the ECE could easily have been brought in from somewhere since it is so contagious. The reason this whole issue was raised is that it would be negligent for anyone to fail to pass on information regarding ECE. We did not find this information out until literally hours before we were scheduled to pick up the ferrets in December and felt we could not back down. To reiterate: *none* of ferrets in the shelter became sick after her ferrets were introduced. Jean's ferrets in Spokane appeared to be in absolutely stunning health - not to be sickly or wasted away as sometimes happens for months after ECE. I believe I posted last year that her's were some of the most beautiful ferrets I have ever seen in my life (and I've seen thousands of ferrets). -Carla [Posted in FML issue 2264]