>From: Sukie Crandall <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: ?New disease(s?)? >Please, note that we still do not know if the abberations people are seeing >are one disease or multiple diseases, nor do we know if the what is being >seen is something new, something known but rarely looked for, something >which has modified (such as by not being as easily diagnosed, or by not >being a easily treated with the usual meds, or by increasing its host >options). THE ONLY WAY WE ARE GOING TO GET ANSWERS IS IF PEOPLE DO THE >NECROPSIES AND PATHOLOGY WORK NEEDED!!!!!!! Well said Sukie--!!!! That is what will save ferret lives in the long run. INdeed-- we also encourage those who lose ferrets early in life for unexplained reasons to PLEASE get pathology done-- this will help them and others in the future. We have been advocating quarantine in ferret shelters for years-- we were set up that way.... and occassionally like with the starvation case Casper ( who is in surgery this morning) we can slip up too-- such was the case with our shelters coccidia crisis last month. For whatever reason a lot of the green slime reports -- tend to have made me feel that there was far too much for it to all be a mystery virus-- why every greenish stool folks and vets scream ECE-- we have been insistant on doing multiple fecals to rule out coccidia - and sometimes it takes a few weeks to really know (Caspers took 5 tests to confirm) from experience I can tell you-- don't break your quarantine rule or you will work yourself nearly to death! :) Sukie continued: >One pathology report has come back as being coccidea.... >Coccidea is one excellent reason to have any new additions to your families >receive fecal tests by vets BEFORE you put everyone together... Yes indeed!!!!-- the wasting caused by coccidia could indeed result in death.... We were lucky-- other shelter folks I urge you to set up precautions--- and best wishes to you all shelters and ferret families alike! Alicia at Ferret Wise PS-- Anyone in the New England Area who is interested in attending the Seminar on Animal Cruelty-- The myths, the Misconceptions-- PLEASE contact me soon-- we are getting a great response to this-- you won't want to miss it! events listings http://www.dartmouth.edu/~crassi/calendar.html and our shelter page at http://www.dartmouth.edu/~crassi/index.html [Posted in FML issue 2435]