Nonono, don't be surprised or dissapointed that your vet is not aware
about WS, or any neural crest disorder.  Don't even be shocked if your
vet seems surprised at how common deafness is in ferrets due to this and
other reasons.  It's actually unusual for the average vet to know about
this.  It's a little bit of a puzzle to me, being that basic genetics
would be taken in vet school and this sort of thing runs all through
other mammals including humans.  But that is the state of things in any
case.  And that's not anything to be anxious about.
 
Deafness does not hurt your baby.  It's a good thing for the owner to
know of course.  But for the most part, there is little known about any
health effects due to neural crest disoders.  There is said to be a type
of WS that is not very common that has GI defects.  I so wish that would
be investigated and confirmed and specified in ferrets.  And soon.  I
really believe that I had such a ferret.  And if we knew exactly what
ailed him, perhaps his quality of life would have been significantly
better.  Perhaps if cardiac problems are a concern, it would benefit a
vet to know that a baby is prone to this.  If cardiomyopathy does occur
at a higher rate in these babies than typical babies that is.  Other than
those two concerns.  I can't think of any possible health risks, etc,
that a vet would need to know.  I hate to say it, but ferrets do seem to
be prone to cancers.  This is already on your vets mind, and they are
already vigilant about this issue.  So that's not a major mind bender.
 
I don't know how to phrase this without ringing someone's bell, but ... I
don't see health problems being a huge issue in these babies.  They are
happy, vibrant, and good pets.  Yes, they do indeed to have a slightly
shortened life span.  But when I did a survey a couple years ago, I was
very shocked (and disappointed) to find now obvious pattern in looking
at causes of deaths.  They were varied and all over the place.  I was
left throwing up my hands.
 
Wolfy
http://wolfysluv.jacksnet.com
[Posted in FML issue 4834]