Catching up on various threads here.  Chuck Renaud clarified some
information about L'Avian pet foods in FML 1661 which changes a few things.
From his original post, I had thought that some of Chuck's own comments were
those of L'Avian.  So, I retract my indignant comments about L'Avian's
specious arguments.  It appears to have been a problem in translating the
message.  My apologies.
 
I will, however, stand by my comments about fear regarding cancer-causing
compounds.  We all have to be careful in assessing what is or is not a risk
for cancer.  Sometimes the body produces cancer without the help of any
outside agents through genetic defects, age or a stray cosmic ray that hits
in the wrong spot.  The law press doesn't do much to help educate the public
about the complexities of cancer either...guess it won't fit into 30-second
sound bites.  The ethoxyquin debate is certainly not over and I'm sure there
are other listservs in which the debate really gets into the details.
 
And speaking of untimely cancers, a friend here in North Carolina who is not
on the FML has a 1-year-old sprite that is believed to have lymphosarcoma
(the running diagnosis--NOT confirmed yet by pathology).  I've pointed her
in the direction of the best advice available on the topic.  This may
detract from the Marshall Farms concerns, however, since her ferret is from
our local breeder, Animals Exotics (the ones with the sinlge red tatoo in
the right ear).  If cancer is confirmed, it's just more evidence that North
American ferrets in general have a predisposition to relatively early or
more frequent cancers.  I'm not a cancer specialist, but I'd put my money on
environmental factors or a founder's effect (genetic susceptibility passed
on by a ferret ancestor to most US ferrets).  If the latter is the case,
outbreeding should diminish, albeit, not eliminate, the problem.  If
environmental factors are at play, it can be tricky identifying the
cause(s).  Stay tuned.
 
Finally, Rebecca Coleman (FML 1662) asked "What is virus shedding?" Viruses
can either lie dormant in a body or reproduce and try to infect new hosts.
Shedding usually refers to the host organism (human, ferret, etc) when
viruses are being eliminated in some way from the body.
 
--Jeff Johnston ([log in to unmask])
[Posted in FML issue 1666]