Hi all!
 
Just wanted to let ya'll know that if friday the 13th didn't get you, its
because it got me!!  I get home from work at 3:30 pm and go for my "beach
walk".  I come back in to a message on my answering machine "...uh, ma'am,
uh I have two ferrets and one is mean and won't use the litterbox so I want
you to come get him......".  ARGGHH!!!!  I go to pick up this gorgeous 6mo
cinnamon male and the people who own him are AFRAID to put their hands in
his cage!!!!  "He's so vicious" they said to me.  "Be careful!!!" I reach in
and remove a very normal, sleepy ferret who is not interested in biting me
in the least!!  I get him home where he is happily getting his nails/ears
cleaned and not one single bite!!!  Not even an attempt!!!  While picking up
my hamburger that I bought on the way home, the phone rings again.  "You
need to call this pet store, XXXXXX, they have a ferret that was dumped
there two days ago with black tarry stools and very lethargic".  I call the
store and speak to the manager.  "Have you taken him to a vet???  Were you
going to????" I asked.  "Well, we think its distemper and we're just
watching him", was the response I got.  OH MY GOD!  Please not distemper!!
"Will you release the ferret to me for treatment?" "I guess, but the owners
aren't here".  "I'll be right there" and back to the car I go, grabbing
money (emergency vet's don't bill) called my vet and asked him to call ahead
for me and explained symptoms third-hand, a carrier and towel, and away I
go.  Get to the pet store and here is a very skinny, 6yo cinnamon, no
energy, and black stools.  Run to the emergency vet, sit outside for 1 hour
(possible distemper, taking no chances).  Finally get seen and its not that
or a blockage (my other fear), its insulinoma.  Ferret stays overnight at a
cost of $140.00.  I get home and its 9 pm.  <Sigh> Where did the day go????
Anyway- he's okay he was dehydrated with some ulcers but blood glucose is
still in low 40's, so he's on prednisolone for life.  Cute little bugger,
though and so well mannered.  Its funny how the animals are so well behaved,
and its the humans (arrogantly thinking we are higher up on the food chain)
that are such jerks!!!  I can't believe that people do these things to
animals, but then I read the paper and realize that we do it to other
people, too.
 
As far as Marshall Farms goes, I have to disagree with Mr. Killian.  I don't
believe that telling the harsh truths about MF is slander.  I have read USDA
reports of humane violations at their farms every year and are on record, so
that much is true.  In regards to their breeding practices, I strongly
disagree with their policies.  If MF bred ferrets ONLY for laboratory
testing, it wouldn't matter if they had a closed breeding colony, it would
be preferred.  The problem lies in this: In order to provide animals for lab
testing, the animals must be as genetically alike as possible, in order to
prevent skewing testing results with different animals.  In order to do
this, they have to maintain a closed colony and breed the animals that are
as genetically alike and continue to breed them to maintain their colony.
When all the animals are genetically alike, the size of the gene pool is a
moot point.  Whether there are 10 ferrets or 10,000 if they are all the same
right down to their DNA, what is the true difference in numbers?  This is
not bad when you are supplying animals for testing.  My problem is that the
same colony that is providing lab animals are also providing animals to be
sold in pet stores.  Lab testing generally is no more than 30 months so long
term problems do not occur in these animals;however an animal bought from a
pet store will usually live to be 7 or 8 years old, and any problems the
animal might have will surface.  When I first got "into ferrets" in 1985, it
was generally believed that ferrets lived to be 10 -12 years old.  Now the
ages have dropped to 7-10 years.  Why is the longevity dropping?  With all
of the tests available and the fact that more vets are knowledgeable, it
seems that this number should be going UP, not down!  If closed colony
breeding is not a problem, why is it now in certain large breeds of dogs so
many diseases prevelant when they weren't before??  Hip dysplasia was
virtually unknown in Siberian Huskies until the breed became wildly popular
and indiscriminate breeding began.  Now its very hard to find one that does
not have it.  And what about the British Monarchy when brothers were
marrying sisters and all of the sudden, hemophiliacs began popping up?  Just
because the evidence hasn't been collected does not mean its not there.
History generally proves out that inbreeding causes many genetic diseases,
or at the very least, a tendency towards it.  How could MF track certain
gene lines to see if any have a propensity towards, say insulinoma or
lymphosarcoma, when they don't keep track of the kits or the parents?  In my
opinion, that is what I see wrong with MF.  If you want to supply animals to
labs, fine.  Do that and make sure that the animals are exactly what are
needed to continue to discover and protect our pets - BUT don't sell these
animals that are bred for lab testing to people for pets!!!!  (don't
misunderstand me, this doesn't mean once the labs are done with them that
they are sold to pet stores).  I don't understand why they decided to try to
cater to two very different markets - you are only going to be able to
satisfy one well.  I see 75-100 ferrets a year ranging in ages from 6 weeks
to 8 years old come through the rescue and it seems to me that the MF
ferrets are more likely to have adrenals, insulinoma and lymphosarcoma.  I
have seen ferrets other than MF come down with these diseases, but not as
early or as often.  I do not believe that I am "spreading stories", just
calling it as I see it.  I think that as big as MF has become that they
could have two different colonies of ferrets - one for testing and
genetically alike and one for public sale and as diversified and open as
possible.  I think that this would help toward solving the illnesses and
diseases that our furries seem so susceptible to.  Bottom line - would I buy
a MF ferret??  NO!  This is just my opinion based on the facts that I have
read, not heard.
 
Lisa
[Posted in FML issue 1692]