Liebe Frettchenfreunden,  (Dear Ferret Friends,)
 
I very much appreciate the responses received about the relative and
seemingly extraordinarily long length of the ferret's K9 teeth.  And,
without seeking out the scientific publications graciously suggested by
those more erudite than I, no one so far has evaluated the methodology I've
employed to take into account the size of the skeletal "mouth" of the
ferret; id est, the depth of the mouth and the width of the mouth, and then
relating that to the total chordal length of the K9, root to point and
neglecting the K9 curvature.  The length of the K9 measured in a manner to
include its curvature would of course be a bit longer than it chordal
length, and would be a bit more difficult to measure.  Also since the
curvature is minimal relative to length, I chose chord length.
 
As many a breeder has painfully noted, the sharpness of the deciduous teeth
is pronounced, compared to the sharpness of the permanent teeth.  What is
the reason for this difference, and why, at least to my way of wonderment,
is this bassackwards.  One would think that the reliance upon the nipple and
the sucking reflex would negate superbly sharp teeth in those weeks preween.
Would not Momma ferret more greatly appreciate permanent teeth dullness
rather than kit teeth puncturability .  .  .  owieeee?  Then when the
permanent teeth erupt, this would be the time that the teeth should be
needle sharp.  But this is not the case.  Anybody care to posit why?
 
And another question: Just how do teeth stay sharp?  Are there growth buds
at the very tips that possibly concetrate Ca+ ions and other trace minerals
there so the tips exfoliate the softer bone cells peripherally, leaving the
calcified tip cells always on the tips?  Is this sorta' like the buttes one
sees standing erroded and wind blasted upthrust in the desert?
 
Lastly, the mandibular left K9 in this skull I have shows a peculiar growth
on its very tip that resembles the cap of a typical mushroom, is 0.75 mm
long, and closely resembles morphologically, the glans penis.  It is bright
white and contrasts sharply with the body of the K9 it appends.  Were I
asked to guess the origin of this tuberosity, I would say it is the result
of accelerated tooth-tip growth showing massive calcium infusion.
 
I'm given to wonder if this growth(?)is consequent to dieting my ferrets on
L U M P S, one of the ingredients of which is non-fat, skim milk.  Also
included are cabbage, brocolli, potatoes, carrots, spinach, lettuce, leeks,
turnips, cauliflower, celery, oatmeal, eggs, molasses, banana, whole meat,
bone dust, marrow, fat, and blood.  Garlic, fresh onion, and brewers yeast
are included for the B complex vitamins and the repellency effect upon
Siphonapteran parasites.
 
The ingredients listed above, after brief cooking, are particle sized
mechanically to the minimum cross-section possible by means of an industrial
blender operated at speed setting of FRAPPE, the highest rpm possible.  This
is done to expose the greatest surface area possible of the ingredients to
the digestive enzymes and the yoghurt infused bacterial flora of the
ferret's GI tract.  The opinion here is that the ferret's assimilation of
food stuffs must be enhanced to the highest degree possible, since transit
time is characteristically minimal.
 
Additionally the ferrets are fed free choice solid kibble food; any kind we
can get our hands on, ranging from dog food to premium cat/kitten food, and
varied daily, so the ferrets are exposed to the greatest variety of dried
foods possible.
 
There may be a relationship between the K9 tuberosity growth in ferrets and
the L U M P S diet, especially in ferrets that have been denied adequate
nutrition prior to landing at our shelter.  Henceforth I shall more
carefully examine the teeth of our ferrets.
 
Thank you for your help.
 
Edward Frettchenvergnuegen Lipinski,  Der Frettchenlustbarkeitsfuerher !
[Posted in FML issue 2109]