The Swedish national show
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There was a total of 64 ferrets participating, which was just enough
for the Swedish Ferret Society to not lose or gain any significant
amount of money.  We also managed to get a few dozen visitors from the
general public, to my great satisfaction.
   To my surprise, Natasja, who won her class at the regional show last
year, did not get many points.  Instead Rustan placed third in his class,
and Alison which I almost didn't think there was any meaning with letting
enter placed first in her class, and finished as "reserve best in show".
Obviously I don't understand this, but I don't have to, because I'm only
the president.
   We had a lecturer from the State Veterinary Institute, one of the
formost authorities in Sweden, who told us about a few interesting things:
      Regarding plasmacytosis (or Aleutian disease), they perform
   about ten test per month on pet ferrets, and so far hasn't found a
   single positive.  This is good, but it has occured on 80% of the
   mink farms.  On some of the mink farms they also keep ferrets, but
   none of the farms who sell ferrets as pets have had plasmacytosis.
      Unfortunately, there has this year been one wild mink found with
   plasmacytosis.  We don't know if the virus on minks is the exact
   same sort that ferrets can get, but DNA investigations (PCR) is
   underway to determine if it is.  If it is, then we have cause to
   worry, as we know the virus can lie dormant in soil for several
   years.
 
      We have been wondering why some females who have been neutered
   come into heat again.  Investigations have shown that instead of
   the removed ovaries, there has formed blisters of some other
   tissue, which in structure is very similar to the egg tubes, on
   these females.  So the cause isn't as some suspected that a small
   piece of the ovary remained.  On removing this blister, the come
   out of heat.
      What can happen if you neuter females when they are very young,
   less than six weeks, is that the adrenal glands take over some
   functions of the ovaries.  (This we have had no cases of in
   Sweden.)
 
      It was also explained why the distemper vaccination schedule is
   as it is: The standard recommendation is at 12 and 16 weeks, 12
   months and then every two years.
      That the two first should be four weeks apart is the usual
   mechanism for getting booster shots to have maximum effect.
      Why the miniumum age of eight weeks usually isn't a good time to
   give the first shot, I had no idea of.  You should avoid it if the
   mother had a current vaccination, as they get protection from her
   and the shot may set up a reaction with the maternal anti-bodies
   present in their bodies until they're 12 weeks old.
 
[Posted in FML issue 1200]