[Please try to avoid indenting everything.]
 
To Ethan and Ceili:
 
When the vulva gets swollen in animals with adrenal disease - you will
certainly know it.  It usually attains a size equal to that in ferrets
in estrus - almost 10X normal size for a spayed female.  If you look in
any of the current books, most of them have a good picture of a vulva
from an animal in heat.
 
Don't worry, you'll know....
 
 
To Dave and the girls -
 
It seems to me that the docs at Cornell are doing the right thing.  They
are pretty good with ferrets up there.  I would also suspect a toxic
reaction based on your letter.  Ferrets often get into things that they
should not be eating, and they vomit fairly readily. From all of the
symptoms that you listed, that seems the most logical.
 
If there is further problems, please email me...
 
 
 
To Jan Lovell concerning ferret nutrition -
 
You said:
> "I have a question pertaining to the protein/fat requirements for adult
> ferrets.  A few years ago I received a copy of "Mother's Milk Is
> Nature's Most Perfect Food" from Pet-Ag, Inc., the makers of Esbilac,
> KMR, etc.
> As I read through it I found the analysis of mother's milk for ferrets
> and I was surprised to find the following:
> %Solids - 23.5
> Fat - 34.0
> PROTEIN - 25.5
> Carbohydrates - 16.2
>
> After reading this I started to wonder if we weren't feeding our
> ferrets foods too high in protein.  I have been told by one person that
> baby animals require the highest levels of vitamins and minerals (with
> the exception of pregnant/nursing animals), that they will ever require
> in their lives.
>
> I was further surprised to find that the protein levels for skunk milk
> was 32.0.  This is much higher than that of ferret milk and yet ferret
> owners are advised to feed foods high in protein, yet skunk owners are
> told to feed foods low in protein.
>
> Are we doing our ferrets and skunks a disservice?  By the way, do you
> have any skunk health/nutrition information I can get my hands on?  Some
> good friends are the founders of the American Domestic Skunk Association
> and are always looking for any new information."
 
 
Jan, this is not my strongest area.  However, most of the literature on
ferret protein requirements (and other dietary requirements) is based on
research that was done in mink.  In mink kits, up to 16 wks., protein
levels of approx. 42% provided optimal growth.  After this time, protein
levels from 26% to 36% will provide necessary maintenance levels.
 
I have long believed, than in older animals, 4-5 years and up, that even
lower levels up protein are sufficient to cover energy and metabolic
demands, while not putting excess stress on an older animal's kidneys.
 
The fact that ferret milk replacer has a lower protein level than normal
feed requirements, by itself, does not indicate that we are feeding too
much protein.  In fact, mother's milk is perfect only for neonates; an
adult ferret would not survive on it for long.  (I admit, however, after
reviewing the available literature on the subject, that we are learning
qutie little about nutrition of ferrets when you compare that to what we
are learning on all other fronts. )
 
Here is two other articles that you may be able to find which should
give you more insight into ferret milk:
 
1. Manning, D.D. and Bell, J.A. Derivation of gnotobiotic ferrets:
perinatal diet and hand-rearing requirements. Lab.Anim.Sci. 40:51-55,
1990.
 
2. Schoknecht, P.A., Cranford, J.A., and Akers, R.M. Variability in milk
composition of the domestic ferret (Mustela putorius).
Comp.Biochem.Physiol.[A]. 81:589-591, 1985.
 
Based on everything I can find, I think we're okay with current wisdom
on protein requirements in young, healthy ferrets.  The jury's still out
on the older ones.
 
I have absolutely no information of skunk nutrition.  I only see one or
two per year.  They haven't caught on yet in this area, I suppose.
 
I hope this has been of some help
 
 
Bruce H. Williams, DVM
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[Posted in FML issue 0751]