Bob is absolutely right: no household has a representative sample. In
fact, mixed samples which are too small also are not representative. A
survey I was helping some veterinarians with for an upcoming paper
looked bimodal when only the first 50 or so replies had arrived. That
changed with more individuals represented.

That said, my comment was in relation to a too broad assertion from a
household with fewer ferrets for less time (about 1/10th as long as our
almost 30 years).

***Now, it is important to remember with study numbers which differ
from a household's experiences that there can be several things going
on.*** The first is that the sample size is small so the results may
not hold over time. Yes, even clumps happen statistically. The second
is that the household itself might differ from the more general
population for some reason, perhaps a care reason, perhaps another
reason and that can make results worse or better than the norm (though
not better than what any individual's genetics will permit).

It will be interesting to see which dental issues occur and to what
degrees they happen. Pre-publication a person can not divulge much
so the broad term "issues" makes sense but could mean anything from
cavities to wear patterns to eruption mode differences and much more.

A comparison of microfractures to larger fractures would/will be
interesting. In humans there is work indicating that microfractures
for much of life dissipate stress and as a result reduce breakage then
(possibly until they begin to join with age). (Yes, that is going to
please a number of physical geologists and geologists -- speaking of
which I am left wondering if sonic and vibrating dental care equipment
which can be great for gum health might connect microfractures as a
ultrasonic cleaner can do in gemstones... :-) ) I wish I'd kept that
paper during my last computer clean-up. If memory serves it was from
either 2008 or 2009, though I guess that earlier is possible given how
busy recent years have been with family members' illnesses and deaths.
I don't spot it on a quick look at PubMed but I recall running into it
in a medical aggregation service, though not which one. Dang, it would
have saved time if I'd saved it. Basically dentin is stronger so
microfractures don't pose break risks typically for much of life, and
the work found that enamel microfractures -- which also have other
considerations not all of which are good -- allow for stress to be
dissipated reducing the rate of larger fractures for much of life.
So, microfractures apparently have their good points, too.

Kibbles vary a lot in brittleness and other features so it will be
interesting to know which kibble features pose which risks and which
are more benign.

Also of interest will be seeing if liquid and semisoft diets increased
periodontal disease rates. Certainly the only ferret we had with
periodontal disease was on a liquid diet for about half year before
due to esophageal restriction from two heart diseases (heart tumor and
dilated cardiomyopathy).

Now, in relation to the genetic information and Kim's comments. That
may or may not affect ferrets -- which won't be known till there is
sufficient genetic study of ferrets and comparison to the human
findings, but that is also true for much of the existing information
about any relationship between the two diseases. It IS important,
though, to know that beyond the two possibilities which have already
gotten wide notice:
1. That some specific forms of oral bacteria (not all of which had been
found in ferrets the last time I checked) get into the blood stream in
unusual amounts through diseased gum tissues and affect the heart
2. That poor circulation from heart disease can make the gums more
prone to developing periodontal disease as a peripheral result that
there is the third that some individuals simply can be genetically more
vulnerable to BOTH of these diseases due to a genetic variation which
affects both. That is also important for separating out other health
risks secondary to periodontal disease from ones that simply are
coincidental to periodontal disease or may have themselves set the
stage for periodontal disease -- and that is not going to be anywhere
near easy because too many gaps currently exist for broad statements
to have firm foundation.

Remember that we DO have MOST of our genetic material IN COMMON with
other mammals (including ferrets) so it is possible that this genetic
variant is also shared. Now, not all of shared genetic material
expresses itself in the same ways in different species AND not all is
active (a very important factor) but it can not be any more accurately
assumed that ferrets will not have that same genetic variant and not
have it functioning as it appears to function in humans than it can be
assumed that they do.

It is simply a possibility which people must be aware exists.

I know that possibilities and statistics won't please people who favor
absolutes, but almost nothing in life is an absolute. Instead, life has
its probabilities and the things which modify how those probabilities
are or are not expressed, so generalizations always have their
limitations.

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/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://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 6589]