Ok, there's the thing.  Elizabeth downloaded almost 500 email messages for
me, but unlike how I do it (which is one by one) she did it in bulk, which
means a huge word format file with everything one after another.  The end
result is, I may *never* get to your mail for quite some time.  I also have
more than 250 messages in the last couple of weeks dumped into a "to read
file" which I've been working on, but slowly.  End result is I just may have
to admit defeat and start over.
 
If you sent me email in the last month *AND* I haven't answered you, please
reship it, and I can answer it ASAP as it comes in rather than trying to go
through the old piles of stuff.  I feel bad about the sudden influx of mail
(I have *NO* idea how Bill or others can keep up with the number of messages
they get per day).  Most of the prior mail was stuff saying they were sorry
about me being under the weather, Horse dying, or Elizabeth's grandfather
dying, and thanks for them.  Some were specific questions or requests for
information; please ask again and I'll get right on it.
 
I'm sorry about this, and thanks for the understanding.
 
Now for the adrenal stuff.  Sukie is right that I suspect more than one type
of problem with adrenals, but that is not the goal of this survey.  I just
want to understand the post-onset survivability of adrenal disease for *any*
treatment plan (including non-treatment).  Only with that type of
information can you decide which treatment is best for which circumstances.
Not that I would like the additional data, mind you.
 
My goal is just as I've stated several times now, nothing in the back
ground, no hidden agenda.  I just want to be able to say "X percent of
ferrets older than 4 years old that develop adrenal disease live X years if
not treated, X years if surgically treated, X years if treated with steroids
and X years if treated with chemotherapy." My goal is not to say one
treatment is better than another, or anything else.  I have already stated
that this is not a scientific investigation, nor do I expect it to be.  I do
expect age clumping for the onset of disease, and I also expect that unless
vets respond to the "survey," the number of ferrets dying during or after
surgery will be disproportionately high.
 
What I haven't admitted is that I *am* collecting more reliable data for a
more scientific approach to the problem, but don't expect tangible results
for a while, due to time constraints in preparing career-related papers and
a national-level presentation I have to make in March.  If I had *any*
hidden adgenda ideas, it would be comparing scientifically-collected data on
ferrets to FML-collected data on ferrets, and seeing if biases exist.  But
nothing more.
 
So, please keep sending me adrenal information about your ferrets.  Those of
you that already have, expect in the next couple of weeks a summary of all
collected data, a bonus for your efforts.
 
Bob C and the 20 Toothsome Ferts
[Posted in FML issue 2157]