Here are the articles that I guess you never got last week.
Hello there...all these postings will probably drive you crazy! I saved up
enough time tonight to get through a number of issues and there is water in
my basement and I am waiting for the plumber, so what better thing to do than
play on the computer and talk!
Re: #734 Neutering ferrets at an early age.
Marshall Farms, as well as a number of other large scale ferret breeders,
commonly neuter ferrets at 4-5 WEEKS of age, prior to weaning (they also
descent them). This practice was started many years ago to try to prevent
the death of female ferrets that can die of a fatal anemia if they are not
bred or neutered (or given a hormone shot) within a short period of time. It
seemed like a good idea at the time. Now we wonder .... there is increasing
speculation in the veterinary community that the early neutering may be
predisposing ferrets to at least one of the many types of cancer we see them
with these days and that is adrenal cancer. There has been much research
done on this particular disorder at Animal Medical Center in New York and at
M.I.T. I have seen ferrets for 17 years and I have NEVER seen the cancer
problems that we see now prior to early neutering and the huge influx of
ferrets from the large breeding "farms". In addition, I have visited the
U.K. 3 times and talked to vets and seen ferrets, and I communicate with
practitioners in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, and Germany and NO WHERE
else in the world do they even remotely experience the cancer rate that we do
in this countyry and in fact the average life span more nearly approachs 7-10
years rather than 5-7 as in the US. There is probably more than one factor
involved and I am sure that it is a combination of things that does it. The
most striking differences that I have seen between our ferret practices and
those in Europe and Australia are as follows:
1. Most of the other countries feed their ferrets whole meat diets, that is
the whole carcass, uncooked (including organ meats, bones) and egg products.
Some of their household ferrets are getting some processed cat or dog food,
but many are still supplemented with fresh, raw meat products.
Question? Is the diet that we feed really the best? Ferrets are, after all,
strictly carnivores, with the only plant material they get is what would have
been in the stomach of their prey. Case in point, one of the most beautiful
ferrets that I have seen lately in the clinic was on a diet of raw meat, eggs
and organ meat products. The coat was luxurious and he was magnificent. In
the U.K. I saw a ferrets that I would have sworn were 2 years old by their
appearance but were in fact 7-9 years old and had been fed whole rabbit
carcasses raw, all their lives. Obviously feeding these kinds of products are
messy and fraught with danger of bacterial and parasitic contamination, and
the possibility of unbalancing the diet if you don't feed ALL the animal
parts...but "food for thought"
2. No other country that I have communicated with is interested in the
"colors" that we are interested in and they do not intentionally breed for
these. They primarily have the sable (fitch), sandy (cinnamon), and albino.
It takes a certain amount of genetic manipulation to get these other colors
that Americans in their constant quest for something new, like so well. Are
we actually selecting for animals with potential problems?
3. The gene pool in the US is smaller than in Europe. Some facilities such
as Marshall Farms (I am not trying to pick on them, but they are the primary
producers for our area) have a closed genetic breeding facility in order to
produce "uniform genetic" animals for research (yes, remember that many of
the large breeding facilities are selling lots of ferrets for research as
well as pets, in some places up to 50%). When I visited Europe, some of the
old ferreters bred their stock back to wild caught ferrets. Even though the
ferret that we have as a pet is domestic, it is GENETICALLY the same as the
wild ferret and they can breed nicely and produce viable offspring. Do we
have inherent genetic problems within the gene pool that we are utilizing?
4. No other country that I have communicated with neuters ferrets prior to
maturity. In fact in the U.K. some vets consider it unethical. In addition
many vets in the U.K. feel that the removal of anal glands is a mutilation of
the animal, because it was an entirely unnecessary surgery (except in cases
of disease). Although the reason to neuter animals at the preweaning age was
certainly a noble one, (i.e. to prevent the deaths of many unspayed females),
and to prevent the reproduction of the ferrets in the wild (a point that many
state agencies still harp on), again, we may be inadvertently causing a
problem. One of the theories (not proven, mind you) currently being
expressed is that when the reproductive organs are removed prior to the
maturity of the endocrine (hormone producing) system, (which includes other
organs such as the adrenals, thyroids, pancreas and pituitary), then the
"circuit" is broken and it may stimulate the adrenal, in particular, to make
up the loss. All of the organs in the endocrine system communicate with each
other and help to regulate each other's hormone output and other bodily
functions. When a large "chunk" of this message system is removed, then the
body, in its infinite wisdom of trying to balance and regulate itself, trys
to get things back to normal. It is hypothosized that the adrenal gland,
which has the capability of produces sex hormones as well as corticosteroids
and other hormones, develops the potential to overproduce these hormones (I
am greatly simplifying). In fact, the recent research has shown that when we
see the hair loss, vulvar swelling (in spayed females), thinning of the skin,
and all the other signs that we associate with adrenal cancer, it is NOT in
fact primarily an increase in corticosteroids that are causing the signs (as
in dogs, humans and other animals) it is an increase, usually in estrogen
like hormones (estrogen precursors). Also, in ferrets, the pituitary gland
has never been implicated in adrenal disease, as it has been in many other
species.
In addition to the potential damage to the endocrine system, I have never
liked this practice of early neutering because esthetically it alters the
appearance of the ferret. Sex hormones are important for proper growth and
development as well as for reproduction and preneutered male ferrets never
reach that nice robust large "male" look (we rarely see a pre-neutered male
over 2.75 lbs and I used to see male ferrets over 3 lbs frequently prior to
predneuts) and female ferrets get larger and less "feminine" looking. Female
ferrets naturally should be about half the size of the male, petite and
lovely. Now they look larger and more "horsey" (funky word I know)
I know this is quite long winded but I thought you should know what the
thoughts are out there. Hopefully definitive proof will be forthcoming on
these issues and
we can have real ammunition to stop the preneutering of ferrets. But on the
other side of the coin, it will put back in the lap of the ferret owner the
responsibilty of getting the females neutered prior to having problems with
anemia, which means we must keep up our campaign of education at all times.
Susan Brown, D.V.M.
Re: #734 Rabies Vaccination
I echo and applaud Dr. Williams strong opinion on rabies vaccination. I tell
my clients, that it is essentially a "vaccination against humans", i.e. to
prevent humans in the Animal Control Agencies from taking their pet in the
unlikely event that it bites someone and removing its head for rabies exam.
With a rabies vaccination, they don't do that here. Unfortunately, in
Illinois, ferrets are still considered wild animals, so they do have the
right to confiscate if they want to without proper rabies vaccination.
Susan Brown, D.V.M.
Re: #734 Peppermint
Be careful with any sugary snacks...I know ferrets go nuts for them, but
diabetes is a problem and all the cases of diabetes that I have seen that
occured naturally were caused by the owners feeding sugary products to their
pets. The ferret pancreas is not equipped to handle this high sugar levels.
Perhaps Dr. Williams, who knows more about the pathology of this organ would
like to comment also.
Susan Brown,D.V.M.
Re: Ferret Books
THe best ferret book out there now is A Practical Guide to Ferrets by Deborah
Jeans. It is excellent, easy to read, very thorough, up to date (no I don't
get any royalites) and written with a lot of love and care. It is rare that
I, as a long time ferret vet and owner, find a book that I can completely
recommend. They will be increasingly available at ferret shelters, and book
stores and veterinarians. She offers special rates to ferret shelters. To
contact her, her address is:
Deborah Jeans
Ferrets Inc.
P.O. Box 450099
Miami, FL 33245-0099
FAX: 305-285-6963
Susan A. Brown, D.V.M.
Re: 735 Taking food away overnight
I agree that it is not a good idea to take food away overnight. Ferrets have
a gi transit time (the time it takes to get from mouth to the other end) of
about 3-4 hours. In ferrets over 3 years of age where we see an increased
incidence of insulinoma (cancer of the pancreas which results in low blood
sugar) which can be seriously aggravated by an overnight fast..i.e. the blood
sugar could drop dangerously low in animals with advanced disease. In
youngsters under 3 it is probably not a problem. If you look at ferrets in
the wild, they would make a kill, gorge themselves, then sleep for many
hours, up to 8 or more and their blood sugar is regulated by calling reserves
from the liver. However, in this country, with the the high incidence of
cancer over 3 years of age, it would probably be best if we didn't practice
overnight fasts in general.
Susan Brown, D.V.M.
Re: #734 & 735 Lab Animal Vets on FML
The dialog on this subject has been excellent. There have been well thought
out discussions on both sides. Judith Manning and her wonderful husband
Dean, has had personal experience with these critters in research and her
points were well taken. Ann Davis's comments were eloquent and poignant.
Ultimately the powers that be who run the FML will make the decision as to
whether the Lab vets should have access. You have already read my comments
several issues ago, but I want to make clear that I do not prefer that
animals be used for research. Being a cancer patient myself, I do not care
if my life is shortened because they didn't do research on an animal to
discover a "cure". I love all my critters (ferrets, dogs, cats, hedgehogs,
reptiles, birds, etc) and find it difficult to think about the whole research
issue. But on the other side I am a realist and I realize that animal
research is not going to go away instantaneously. It has changed and
lessened due to the efforts of many groups, but it will be with us for a
while. Now labs are more concerned with "environmental enrichment" to make
these critters lives more comfortable, whether it is hiding spots, toys in
their cages more contact with humans or conspecifics, the concern is there
and the changes are being made. In speaking with Dr. Eisele (laboratory vet)
at the University of California vet school at Davis where I was this weekend,
and discussing this subject, she indicated that there are increasing programs
to not "terminate" these animals and to find homes for them. At any rate, I
won't be making the decision about the fate of lab vets here, all I can say
is as much as I object to animals in research, I think that we will make more
progress making changes in this area with EDUCATION of all involved rather
than segregating ourselves from a large portion of the human community that
deals with the ferrets. Maybe we can teach them that they are too loveable
to use in this manner. Enough said..
Susan Brown, D.V.M.
Re:#734 Cleaning ears
The sweet oil that Pam Greene wrote about is fine to clean ears and is less
drying than hydrogen peroxide. One needs to realize that is is always a
certain amount of reddish brown ear wax in the ferret ear and that is normal
and protective. So don't clean the ears constantly...at the MOST once a week
is enough unless you are treating an infection. Do not depend on the oil to
completely rid your pet of mites either although it will help to suffocate
them. Mites are easily taken care of by using Ivermectin directly in the
ears at 0.5mg/kg divided into two doses to be used in each ear and then
repeated in two weeks. YOu need to have a positive diagnosis of mites made
by your vet and get the medication from him or her.
Susan Brown, D.V.M.
Re: #735 Sick ferret from Victoria Hadfield
I have sent a separate email to Victoria, but felt that a couple of general
comments needed to be made here. These comments are directed at the readers
in general, not specifically at Victoria.
Do not use antibiotics that may be potentially outdated as they may cause
more harm than good. Antibiotics are only good against bacterial
infections, which are not the most common problems in ferrets, especially
over 3 years of age. You may lose precious time in the treatment of your pet
when using these products inappropriately. I know that there are many of you
that are extremely frustrated with the lack of knowledgeable veterinary care
in some areas of the country, but there are a whole network of vets with
experience that are available by FAX (preferably, saves both parties time) or
phone. Find a vet that is willing to work on ferrets, and LIKES ferrets and
is willing to LEARN (the three most important qualities). There are lots of
good vets out there that want to learn and you can work with them...be
patient and let them know that there is help. You are all familiar with the
good work that Dr. Williams does and the excellent advice that he gives and
we are also available, and can give information on other knowledgeable vets
in various areas of the country. All of us on the list below would prefer
that we communicate directly with the vet that is treating the case so that
the communication doesn't have to go through more than one channel or person
and we can talk directly to the person who is going to be carrying out the
treatment. We get between 4-10 FAXes a DAY just from vets and it is a real
time commitment to take care of. We are happy to be of assistance, but if we
double that amount by having to talk to owners first and then repeat the same
information for the vet, it makes it difficult for us to get everything else
for our own clients done. If your vet is not willing to get outside help in
situations where they are stumped, find another vet. Here is a list of a few
of the good people (Dr. Williams is already available to you I presume):
Our clinic: Midwest Bird and Exotic Animal Hospital, Westchester, IL.
(outside Chicago) Dr's Brown, Nye, McDonald and Wilkerson
FAX: 708-344-8194
Animal Medical Center in New York
Dr. Karen Rosenthal, Dr. Kathy Quesenberry, Dr. Heidi Hoeffer
FAX:1-212-832-9630
Dr. Jeff Jenkins, Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital San Diego, Ca
FAX:619-260-1499
Dr. Doug Mader, Long Beach Animal Hospital,Long Beach Ca.
FAX: 310-597-4226
Dr. Joanne Paul-Murphy, University of Wisconsin Vet School
FAX: 608-263-6573
Dr. Richard Funk, Brandon FL
FAX: 1-813-685-2371
Dr. Susan Erdman or Dr. Jim Fox at M.I.T. in Boston, MA
FAX: 617-258-5708
Other names (that I do not have numbers right in front of me for, but you
could call info)
Dr. Deborah Kemmerer, Gainesville, FL
Dr. Tom Kawasaki (I believe that he is on FML) Woodbridge, VA.
Dr. Greg Rich in New Orleans, LA
THere are many, many more excellent names that I am sure that you all could
add to the list, and I hope that you will. THere is a powerful and useful
network of us out there that can help.
Another thought is that there is now an inexpensive series out, produced by
the American Animal Hospital Association
12575 West Bayaud Ave. Lakewood, DO 80228
800-252-2242 for practitioners on exotic pets. THere are five books in the
series and Dr. Jeff Jenkins and I produced the one on Rabbits and Ferrets (he
did the rabbit part). It is practical, useful, has drug dosages, treatments,
husbandry, normal clinical pathology values, diagnostic techniques that might
be useful for your vet. (Again, I get no royalties for this, but I think it
is a very useful publication for the vet that is getting started)
And lastly...consider America On Line. We have a petcare forum (keywork
Petcare for those of you already on it)with a section on questions for vets,
which has a specific board for ferrets where your questions can be answered
by vets and a Veterinary Information Network (keyword VIN) that is
specifically for vet and accessed only by vets VIN has a board for small
mammals other than cats which includes ferrets. At least 4 expert vets
answer questions for other vets on this board. I do not mean to draw any of
the traffic away from the wonderful FML board, but these suggestions are very
specific for veterinary concerns, that may give additional information to
FML. I would recommend subscribing to several sources of information...we
can all always learn more (especially me!)
Susan Brown, D.V.M.
Re: #735 About Gizmo from mh7
I have to say you had one tough little girl there and you should be most
proud that you got her through 7 years. The average life span for a ferret
in this country is 5-7 so she did well with all her problems. Any pet is
difficult to say goodbye to, but ferrets especially because of the way they
can make you laugh even when you are down. I know she will always remain
with you in your heart.
I wanted to make a brief comment on the statement in your communication about
pneumonia in the ferret.
<advanced heat and pneumonia, we are told, kill most ferrets>
Although it is true that ferrets in estrus or "heat" can die of a fatal
anemia, if they are neutered within 3 weeks of coming into heat they
generally no problems. Pneumonia in the ferret is very uncommon, at least in
our area. Primarily we see lung changes due to heart muscle disease or
lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system) One also needs to consider
heartworm disease and fungal disease if you are in those susceptible areas of
the country. I am not in any way critizing her case and I know that you did
all you could and that she was obviously taken care of very well by you and
your vet. I just want to let people know that if their pet has respiratory
disease, there are several possibilites and that they should have appropriate
diagnostics done to figure out which possibility it is such as one or more of
the following: X-rays, blood tests, tracheal washes or chest taps. This is
especially important for people who are treating their pets without benfit of
veterinary care because many of these conditions will have the same outward
signs but are treated very differently, and delaying treatment may make a
difference between success and failure.
Again, I sympathize with your loss...but it is obvious that she lived a good
and full live with you.
Susan Brown, D.V.M.
[Posted in FML issue 0742]
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