> From:   [log in to unmask]
> Date:   Sat, 10 Jul 1993 17:01:14 -0400
 
[summary of Science News article about cancer factors deleted]
 
Suki,
 
Your summary of the Science News article was very interesting.  I'm
fascinated by the mention of melatonin as a possible cancer-fighting
substance -- as I have Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is not well
understood, but it HAS been demonstrated that SAD sufferers produce more
melatonin than those who do not have it.  Melatonin is a sleep-inducing
chemical naturally produced by the body -- and I'm curious how ferrets
produce it or react to it, seeing as they sleep so many hours a day, and
that it's so often recommended to house them in such a way that they
receive a natural light cycle, as opposed to only artificial lighting.
(SAD, for those who don't know, is a condition in which the lack of
sunlight during the winter months causes disruptions in sleep and behavior
patterns, such as excessive drowsiness, carbohydrate craving, weight gain,
loss of libido, and clinical depression.  It is treated with light
therapy.)
 
> What can I say?  It's been a hell of time the last 2 1/2 years, what
> with some operations for humans, some seriously ill and some lost
> relatives, and Hjalmar's cancer, plus the typical recession stresses we
> all face.  I'm hoping 1993 is our catch-up year.  We need one very much.
 
Suki, I wish this for you VERY much -- heaven knows you've been through
some VERY tough times with your ferrets.  I didn't know about your human
family, and I hope things get brighter for you SOON. :-)
 
> Katie, here's something familiar to you,  Ruffie"s reacted to her
 innoculations.
> Fortunately, she didn't get as severe as your little girl (Was it Pixie?) but
> still got to the point of needing IV and intra-muscular dexamethasone.
 
Sorry to hear about Ruffle -- hope she recovered completely.  Her reaction
sounds MUCH worse than Molly's -- who got an antihistamine shot and spent
an hour or so resting on a towel-wrapped heating pad on low, slept a lot
that evening, and was fine the next day.  (It appears that her vulva
swelling is FINALLY starting to subside, btw -- it's been eight weeks
since her adrenal surgery.  Will keep everyone posted.)  Do you know if
there was something different about the boosters this time?  I've been
told since that it's best to have rabies & distemper shots given at
different times rather than one after another.  I've also heard that there
may be more reactions than usual with Fervac-D (not Fromm-D), which is
distressing since Fervac's the one that has USDA approval.  There's only
anecdotal evidence so far, that I know of, though I know there's been an
effort to collect more solid evidence.
 
LOVE the image of Jonathan Winters as a ferret! :-) :-)
 
Katie, Jeff, Bandit, Molly, Charlie, Pogo & Sigmund
[Posted in FML issue 0518]