I have received several dozen emails thanking me for this recent series
of dental posts, and I thank each person for their comments.  However,
while you may think I have need to be congratulated, the truth is
nothing could have been done without the kind hearts and donations of
many vets, shelters and people without whom this work could not have been
accomplished.  It is these people that should be congratulated; if any
good comes from these studies, it is because of their great generosity.
They have helped all of us, and through us, generations of ferrets.  I
have a policy of not releasing names on the internet, especially those
that might come under the scrutiny of animal groups that think the
donation of deceased animals is sacrilegious; I get enough hate-mail each
time I mention the project.  If you have learned something and you use
that knowledge to help your ferret to live a longer, perhaps healthier
life, do not thank me, but instead thank those anonymous people who have
extended their love for ferrets to all of us.  Each one is my hero.
 
Here is part of the tremendous debt we owe them.  The ferret skeletal
study is far more involved than has been glimpsed in this series on
dental problems.  The study, when completed, will graphically illustrate
numerous dental and skeletal pathologies, will document the degree of
sexual dimorphism in ferrets and polecats, will show the effect of early
neutering on the skeleton, will show the effects of domestication on
ferrets, will show the impact of a kibble diet on the teeth, will show
the changes to the skeleton from prolonged caging, will show ferrets can
safely consume bones, and will document ferret osteoporosis (among other
things).  In addition, the study will illustrate the difference between
pet and feral ferrets using simple forensic odontology.  It will show,
without a doubt, that feral New Zealand ferrets are the descendants of
a small group of survivors out of tens of thousands of releases over a
period of decades; a graphic illustration that the idea that ferrets
can easily go feral is a myth.  Finally, it will create a database of
skeletal and dental measurements that can be the basis for future
biometric analyses.
 
Some of these analyses cannot be finished until I visit Europe and New
Zealand.  I can look at the existing data and see trends that suggest
certain implications, but to construct an argument that can withstand
scientific examination, I need a large database built from a random
population.  While my feral New Zealand ferret database is fairly large,
I cannot prove (at this time) that it was randomly collected.  Also,
some of the pet v. wild arguments require a larger sample of polecats
than available in the USA and Canada.  Once those problems are addressed,
absolutely everything will be released.
 
The study will continue for as long as I am able to do the work.  As
more data is put into the database, the stronger the arguments will
become and the more useful the data for future research.  I don t expect
the addition of data to change many of the findings, but it will create
an irrefutable database and as the database grows, rare events and
diseases will be recorded.  Also, IF some of these ideas, such as the
prevalence of dental disease in ferrets, are accepted and change
implemented, changes can be tracked and improvements seen.  Once I
publish my findings, the database will be placed on the web for all
to freely use.  As additional data is collected, the database will be
updated and immediately released.
 
In the next installment, I will entertain questions, but NONE asking for
specific numeric or experimental details that would jeopardize future
scientific publication.
 
Bob C
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[Posted in FML issue 4524]