Our own experience is that a few -- and I stress "few" -- ferrets
during our almost 30 years with ferrets have been prone to tartar
and plaque no matter what they are fed. It seems to be a genetic
vulnerability of some rare individuals and they simply need more dental
care both at home and through the vet. The others have only rarely
had any dental problems with most having NO dental problems in their
lifetimes. Our ferrets usually live to be 7 or 8, some older, some
younger. We feed kibbles.
We had only one develop gum disease -- an individual with marked
genetic handicaps who had many things wrong in her final year -- but
at the time she already had very advanced heart diseases of two types
(cardiomyopathy and a heart tumor) and her heart's pressure on her
esophagus had forced her onto a thick soup diet for her last half
year or so.
BTW, work last year (maybe the year before but I think last year) found
that vulnerability to gingivitis and heart disease can share a genetic
trigger:
http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=21561
>scientists have discovered a genetic link between the dental disease
>periodontitis and coronary heart disease, according to a new study.
>
>German researchers said they have found a genetic variant situated on
>chromosome 9 that is shared between the two diseases.
...
>"These factors already indicated a possible mutual genetic basis
>underlying the two diseases. Now we know for sure that there is a
>strong genetic link, patients with periodontitis should try to reduce
>their risk factors and take preventative measures at an early stage,"
>Dr. Arne Schaefer of the Institute for Clinical Molecular Biology at
>the University of Kiel in Germany was quoted as saying.
>
>SOURCE: Study presented on May 25, 2009 at the annual conference of
>the European Society of Human Genetics
Abstract:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19214202
Free full text:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2632758/?tool=pubmed
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.htmlhttp://www.miamiferret.org/http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/http://www.ferretcongress.org/http://www.trifl.org/index.shtmlhttp://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
HAPPY:
http://www.6footsix.com/my_weblog/2010/01/high-fives-for-happiness.html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
[Posted in FML 6587]
