Wolfy wrote:

>I'm just curious, if the adrenal rates in these rescues are the same
>as average pet store ferrets, better, worse, or is prevalent but with
>a later onset.

BUT adrenal rates are NOT known for ferrets in general. Typical ages
of onset has been looked at, though.

Some data on typical ages of onset have been by two research vets who
will have a publication including that data used to help support their
study results -- and some FML and FHL members who had ferrets of known
ages with veterinary diagnoses of adrenal disease helped on that
regard. In a much earlier study from the Netherlands by a prominent
adrenal disease researcher, Dr. Nico Schoemaker, later neutering does
delay onset age in one study BUT 6 months is not enough to make an
appreciable difference). That study had a ***huge spread*** with much
variation in how long after neutering adrenal disease showed up, but
if one looked just at averages, the average age of onset in that study
was about 3 three years after neutering. (Interestingly, if you allow
a year of ferret life to be similar to a decade of human life that is
rather like the 30 years that some physicians say is needed after being
a kid who was subjected to second hand smoke at home to be sure it
didn't trigger a lung growth, at least that is a number which I still
heard maybe 10 years ago.) Even more interestingly, it is very similar
to immunoblastic-polymorphous variant lymphoma onset timing found at
MIT in the 1990s, with 2 and a 1/2 to 3 and a 1/2 years after viral
exposure that is thought to perhaps be the trigger for that variant
which can create clumps of individuals in the same location with
lymphoma.

Still, RATES have NOT been studied. They have been observed and
comments made from what some vets have seen locally, but more
formal study has not been done. One of the researchers, Dr. Cathy
Johnson-Delaney thinks that it could be possible that locations with
longer days and more sun might have higher rates, which makes sense
given how light exposure works.

Yes, I know that one text and a study which quoted that text said that
there were two U.S. studies with rates. THEY ARE WRONG. I also know
that the original author was mistaken and that the person who quoted
him did not check the assertion because I contacted both authors. At
that time I also found who the original author said did the studies. Lo
and behold, he said it was Dr. Mark Finkler with whom I have on and off
correspondence so I asked MF directly about such studies. Nope, there
were no such studies AND the rates given were dramatically higher than
what he saw in his practice. He said that he usually saw about a third
of the ferrets with adrenal disease, which is actually about the same
as we encounter in our family.

The factors that are known to affect adrenal rates are: Things that can
help create a situation with persistent high production of Follicle
Stimulating Hormone (FSH) in ferrets, such as too much light exposure
(especially to the blue and green wavelengths which increases FSH
production by decreasing natural melatonin production), and neutering.

The first of those might be a reason why some shelters report seeing
many ferrets with adrenal growths, but another reason could be that
there are some jerks who keep only animals who are healthy and cute
then expect someone else to shoulder the expenses, work and heartbreak
once they no longer are healthy and cute. Pity anyone who dates, or
marries such people, or even worse whomever has them as parents...
People who behave selfishly and irresponsibly toward animals often
behave the same way toward people, too.

Now there do appear to be some genetic factors involved, *especially
in the early onset cases*. Dr. Michelle Hawkins has been collecting
genetic material for years, with help from at least some FML members
(most of whom are modest about it) at times and that work is
pain-saking and takes quite a bit of time but some of it is possibly
nearing completion. Meanwhile, Dr. Bob Wagner has found p53 genetics
in ferrets. That affects the ability to fight starting malignancies.

Many types of malignancies typically begin long before signs exist. In
ferrets some of those may be years before, and usually bodies fight off
the early clumps of a few cells, so over and over again bodies defeat
such problems, but sometimes bodies can not do so as well. In those
situations the onslaught which is leading to the normal cels having
mutated into a malignant form may be too strong, or the assaults on the
body which are causing the creation may be too persistent (like smoking
and side stream smoke, or like some of the hydrocarbons that can get
into the water table and drinking water from rock fracking done in oil
shales, or like too little darkness, or like being unable to hormonally
signal FSH production to slow down because there are no gonads and meds
to do that have not been used in time), or the body might be unable to
fight back for reasons like too little protein 53 which is encoded by
the Tumor Protein 53 gene (if something has not inactivated it/them or
if the individual does not have infective allele variant(s)).

There is also work ongoing to study actually vaccinating against
adrenal disease. DO see this and use the link, then open Dr. Bob
Wagner's presentation:

http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL13590

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

"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
On change for its own sake: "You can go really fast if you just jump
off the cliff." (2010, Steve Crandall)

[Posted in FML 7127]