Sukie Crandall commented on the way many gastrointestinal disturbances are
labeled as "ECE":
 
>Jeff, glad you tackled the recent Van Weil's topic and ECE, but wish you
>had pointed out that calling a disease other than ECE "ECE" is like calling
>gastroenteritis "stomach flu".  The latter is not influenza and ECE is not a
>bacterial disease nor runs from other causes other than ECE itself...
>Mislabeling things can cause a REAL unexpected uproar...
 
If anyone wants to see a more thorough discussion of this, please read my
comments in the 5 Feb, 1997 issue of the FML (#1835). I agree, however, that
Sukie's point is well worth repeating.
 
Edward Lipinski had two comments about biotin and about ECE.  I agree that
giving ferrets *cooked* egg white should avoid any problems with biotin
absorption.  Occasional raw egg white doesn't cause rapid biotin depletion.
Ferrets in the wild would almost certainly find and eat eggs of ground- or
low- nesting birds.  A bigger risk would come from Salmonella contamination,
which, unfortunately, is fairly common in the US.  I wouldn't give raw eggs
or raw poultry to ferrets in the US except from a high-quality organic
source.
 
>BIOTIN is vital to a ferret's good health.  According to Tabers, BIOTIN
>is the most powerful life substance known...
 
There's a strong statement.  For those who need to look up medical jargon, I
always recommend Dorland's medical dictionary.  It's more expensive than
Tabor's, but more complete and less prone to hyperbole.  All of the medical
researchers I know use Dorland's.  It really is top-rate.
 
Regarding ECE, Edward suggested a strong association with poor nutrition:
 
>...from my experience, the thought has entered my noggin that ECE has
>more to do with nutrition than a "virus." Sometimes I sure feel a tinge of
>sadness for all those folks out there buying up all that expensive ferret
>chow, when the old farmer has ferrets just as healthy or healthier and who
>feeds his ferrets what could be called "natural carnivore foods."
 
Certainly many diseases can strike more easily or only strike when an anima
l is malnourished.  In other cases, it doesn't matter a whit, and a healthy,
robust animal can be infected as easily as a malnourished one.  So far, the
evidence suggests that ECE occurs regardless of nutritional status.  Some of
the most knowledgeable ferret owners in North America have had ECE visited
upon them.  I would bet that most of these folks fed their ferrets the
highest quality diet that they could and yet ECE didn't spare them.  It's
marvelous you have avoided the scourge of ECE so far, but I wonder if it's
just luck that an infected ferret hasn't shown up at the local shelter yet.
At present, ECE has not hit North Carolina either and we don't have a
special nutritional regimen here.  I consider it a matter of time until it
gets here.  Until then, I try to educate everyone about ways to prevent the
transmission of enteric viruses to keep that time as far in the future as
possible.  As for "natural carnivore foods," I volunteer at a carnivore
preserve nearby and can vouch that wild carnivores regularly pick up
parasites, infections from fights or minor injuries, or lose the ability to
catch or eat their natural foods as they get older.  Life spans of wild
carnivores are often half that of those cared for by humans.
 
"Natural" sounds pleasant and reassuring, but Mother Nature is a nihilist.
I'm content feeding my fuzzbutts a high-quality, parasite-free kibbled diet.
--Jeff Johnston
[Posted in FML issue 1871]