One More Reason to Test for Adenovirus

Tere,

I had wanted to respond to this from the first day you posted, but have to be very careful what I say as there are a few that depend on dragon sales as their sole income, who DO NOT want this information out there and have worked overtime in promoting others to sell their infected stock too.

I commend you for taking the stand you have, following what the vet researchers that have worked with this ask and not falling prey to the business as usual attitude that is promoted by other breeders, who this is their sole means of income so can not let go for the sake of the species and do the right thing.

As you said

The only way we can get some control over this virus is to test our animals and learn from what we find

and also not breed them or expose non positive animals to them. This is what DR Wentz has been promoting since 2001

If it continues to spread throughout the industry, it could ruin the market. For these reasons, ethical consideration should always be considered if an animal is diagnosed with adenovirus. The main question is should any animal be suspected of or diagnosed with Adenoviral infection be sold or bred? At this time, this author believes the answer is no. Since many of the asymptomatic carriers can live a long and natural life, they can be kept separate. Precautions must be taken to prevent the accidental spread of the virus if one chooses to keep positive animals.

back then there were only a few areas of the country that had positive animals and it would have been easy to contain. But that breeder elected to dumped a large amount of their infected stock to the public and other breeders and some of those other breeders elected to sweep the issue under the rug and also sell stock they had that was infected... which bring us to what we have in not only this country, but also throughout Europe too.

Denise said

I only wish everyone had her integrity.
A lot of people wouldn't say anything. What you've done is right and brave, just the person I've always known you are.

I wish just 2 breeders back then and two now had the same integrity, then I do not think Wendy or Tere and many others would be dealing with what they and their dragons have had too.

Marissa said

It seems very possible that if some breeders are selling off babies from adeno positive parents, that could infect and devastate breeding projects EVERYWHERE

they did, it could and it has- just as Dr Wentz warned would happen 6 years ago when he present to that to the INTERNATIONAL HERPETOLOGICAL SYMPOSIUM. I think it only a matter of time now before everyone realizes where this came from and who was instrumental in spreading it.

Marissa, no breeder should have carte blanche, that is what created this mess to begin with and I encourage you to talk to ANY admin or webmaster that it seems allows that and if they continue that thinking, there are plenty of other sites out there that would welcome you and others that do not want to help some breeder for the sake of $$$ ruin a species.

Tere, again, I am sorry you and your dragons that are you beloved pets first and foremost, got caught up in this. I am sure you will see the naysayers swooping in on you also and trying to hush you up .... just consider the source and what their personal agenda is... time will expose them