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Post by whipple on Jul 30, 2008 21:29:39 GMT -5
Ok, so if I happened to get more ferrets (very good chance lately. I have two big cages now. But possibly only to rehome) and if the ADV tests come back positive, what do I do? I am sure now that I have read up on it that my first ferret had ADV. She had this lump growing on the underside of her back leg, and she was losing funstion in her back end, with it slowly creeping up. By the time I euthinized her she couldn't move her back legs. Yet she was eating and pooing, ect. So I'm not 100% it was even ADV.
Snyhow, what happens if one of these new ferts has a + ADV after they are tested? What should I do?
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Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 31, 2008 3:24:41 GMT -5
Do you mean what do you do for your ferret (as in treatment) if they are ADV positive? There really isnt much you can do. Here is a great site on ADV: www.ferretadv.com/
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Post by whipple on Jul 31, 2008 15:12:22 GMT -5
So as in not much you can do (I know you can't cure it), do you just keep them alive until they are too far gone? What if your other ferrets are testing negative? How do you keep from spreading it?
The link won't work for me. I have been to that site though.
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Post by Forum Administrator on Aug 2, 2008 2:22:50 GMT -5
Sadly yes, there is no treatment (at this time) As for keeping other ferrets from being infected, ugh, it would certainly be difficult. Im not quite sure.
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Post by mustelidmusk on Aug 3, 2008 0:03:08 GMT -5
Below are a couple of quotes from Sara Hamilton's website. I recommend checking out the site since it's a good summary. www.leizelsweasels.com/vaccinationsadv.html"ADV can be spread very easily, i.e. through feces, urine, saliva and other body fluids. Humans can spread ADV through casual contact with multiple ferrets such as that which occurs in shelters or at shows. Also, like AIDS, an infected ferret can spread ADV even though it is not showing any outward symptoms. So, the ADV is still present and infectious, long after a puddle of urine has dried. Also, ADV can become attached to dust particles, and as the dust becomes airborne, it gets moved around as a results" More quotes on Sara's page... "ADV Antibody can be detected as early as 2 weeks post infection. The PCR test (done by the University of Georgia), will detect the presence of the virus in the fluids, but those tests are only good for the point in time when the sample is collected. There have been times when a ferret’s urine might have the virus present, but the feces and blood from that same ferret don't. The ELISA test done by Avecon Diagnostics uses saliva samples that looks for the presence of one specific protein that is only present if the virus is active and replicating. Since ADV can go dormant for long periods of time, though, there may be times when the antibodies will be there but that one protein will not. The ferret still has ADV, and can still spread it, but you will get a negative ELISA result. The CEP (counterelectrophoresis) test done by Blue Cross Animal Hospital (United no longer is ADV testing) uses blood samples that looks for several proteins, and gives a positive result if any one of them is present. Therefore, whether the virus is active or dormant, the CEP will detect it. The CEP test is probably the most reliable test available today. It is important to realize: No test is 100% accurate. That is one of the reasons it is recommended that you run a test every year on your ferrets. Complete quarantine of newcomers for at least 2 weeks is always the best idea, during which time you can test your newcomer for ADV and if your other ferrets haven't been tested lately you can test them too. Ferrets found to be positive for ADV Antibody should be isolated as suspected carriers of the disease. There is no current treatment for Aleutian disease in the ferret, nor is there a vaccine for this disease. Supportive therapy may prolong life; however most cases are not diagnosed until late in the course of disease, and infected animals may serve as a source of infection for other ferrets." ADV is extremely difficult to deal with since once you have the exposure, it's very difficult to get rid of it. I've read that cages that once housed ADV+ mink were disinfected remained empty for two years. Newly introduced mink (2 years later) contracted the virus from the cages inspite the attemptto disinfect the cages coupled with the 2-year period of inccupancy. ADV may be a little different in ferrets, but i's a very bad and difficult disease to deal with. -jennifer
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ferretfreke
Cageless and Roamin' Free
Raw and Whole Prey Feeder[/b]
Posts: 235
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Post by ferretfreke on Aug 9, 2008 12:55:54 GMT -5
My advice would be if you had a positive result that first you retest them in a few weeks. False positives are common.
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