Deb wrote:

>Chris said any genetic defects are eliminated from her stock with
>no if ands or buts.

Okay, just speaking as someone who spent a LOT of time in Genetics, E&E
and paleo classes and who still reads things on the topic regularly:
The above statement is IMPOSSIBLE. Sorry, it just can't be done. That
isn't just because of things which can "hide", it is also because all
of us (and all of everyone's ferrets) can pretty much be guaranteed to
have more than one mutation. Most mutations are benign, of course, but
not all are. Point blank: if ANYONE says that all "genetic defects"
have been removed from their stock then you can be sure they do not
understand basics of genetics.

Now, it might be possible that the person has managed to have stock
that doesn't show up with some of the better documented genetic
problems of angoras. That topic has come up a few times in the past
in Ferret-Genetics
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Genetics/
with people who were familiar with the farms with the original angoras
being able to document some of the problems (though I don't know if
the links will still work). The farms were documented as having a high
sacrifice rate of kits, with malformed skulls, closed off nostrils,
and nostril plugged by fur being among the things often mentioned and
photographed. It was also repeated that the mothers tended to often not
be good at mothering and worsening that situation often tended to have
unhealthily large litters.

Still, if someone insists that stock has has all "genetic defects
eliminated" then see that as a warning flag.

Why did she specify "retroviruses"? While a possible retrovirus was
considered among the possible causes of clumping lymphoma in ferrets
that isn't a viral grouping one usually hears mentioned a lot in
relation to ferrets. (Not that they don't have some they get, but the
viruses that wind up being hot topics twice (ECE and FIP-like virus)
have tended to be coronaviruses.) It seems a strange thing to say...

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html

[Posted in FML 5723]