The only mention I can find so far of renal amyloidosis is
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=SG10995
which is also from Australia so might already refer to that genetic line.
 
Searching under amyloidosis+ferret:
http://listserv.cuny.edu/Scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind9402
&L=ferret-search&F=&S=&P=16009
 
Amyloid is a protein material made by plasma cells.  Amyloid seeps (or
sometimes crowds) into tissues and organs, causing disfunction, when the
plasma cells are too active all the time.
 
The line IS being culled by sterilization, right?
 
The materials were read by a veterinary pathologist who is familiar with
ferrets, right?
 
Mike Garner of Zoopath has studied amyloidosis in the Black Footed
Ferret.
 
This pdf below looks like it should be checked into.  I normally would
skim for you but when I am too tired I can't do that well enough.
 
Have these ferrets been checked for serious chronic infection, including
TB?  The most common type in ferrets is avium, which is always present --
widely -- in the wild in birds, so we all get plenty of exposures to that
without knowing it.  Ferrets tend to get the avian form only when very
compromised and it is not something that tends to lead to euthanasia so
much anymore unless folks get panicky.  The bovine form would be from
infected ungulates and the last I heard that does lead to euthanasia due
to zoonotic potential.  I hope this is not happening there.  They have
not been fed raw beef, or raw (unpasturized) milk, cream, or other dairy
products have they?  Bovine TB in ferrets is almost never seen if they
aren't fed those, but when they are fed those the risk is a decent bit
larger if there is an infected dairy or meat source.  (It's a no-no for
those who have ferrets in the family.)  Have they been interacting with
a human who has TB?
 
http:// www.oie.int/eng/publicat/rt/2102/DE%20LISLE.pdf - Similar pages
 
http://hair-loss-stop.com/ref-tuberculosis/
tuberculosis-research-abs5.259.html
 
It would not hurt to test remaining ferrets if your vet thinks that makes
sense.
 
http://www.afip.org/vetpath/WSC/WSC94/94wsc15.txt
on rats
 
I am exhausted and starting to see double so try Googling...
 
Is it sure that it is not a different type of protein accumulation?
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/aleutian.htm
http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/ferrets/a/aleutiandisease.htm
http://www.geocities.com%2Fwhite_russian4adv/drstevenson.html
 
*****I had almost no sleep last night so if I am being dense (or even
really, really dense forgive me.*****
 
Nichole:
>http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/ferret/ferret.html
>http://www.canit.se/~griffon/ferrets/
>http://home.comcast.net/~mustalayday/pets.htm
 
Suzi is seeking those, Nicole.  (And here I got excited thinking that a
Danish speaker had tracked down the abuse articles I am seeking...)
 
Sukie, who is not a vet  (grain of salt warning)
Being a silver mitt means never having to say you're sorry.
[Posted in FML issue 4706]