Heard that it sounds like (i.e.: treat this as unsubstantiated at this
point) Karen Rosenthal might have some new data which leads her to suspect
even more that early neutering plays a part in the suite of things (some
of which remain unknown -- but, heck, the virus implicated in MS was just
found recently after a long, long time of looking) that lead up to some
adrenal hyperplasias.  Have not seen the stuff myself, yet, but she's
certainly among the group of exotics specialists for whom I have very high
regard so if this is real I will sit up and take notice.
 
There are real Catch 22s here.  In cases in which the owners don't neuter:
unspayed females usually have terrible deaths ahead of them, and unaltered
males are often kept in terrible outdoor conditions.  Backyard breeders
(NOT the responsible small breeders) tend to NOT be careful about which
ferrets they breed or to which other ferrets they breed them so the WORST
atrocities and health come from that category of breeder, plus we don't
want the sort of overpopulation which has led to tens of thousands of dogs
and cats casually killed each week which means that we don't want people
breeding willy-nilly.  There are multiple large breeders which simply are
not going to release unneutered animals.  At the same time the USDA has not
been particularly concerned about animal welfare issues which would force
breeders to release animals at a later age (thereby creating a uniform
situation in which the neutering would happen at a somewhat older age).
Lateral Thinkers, any ideas folks haven't already considered?
 
Personally, as things stand I think we'll have better luck financing work
on treatments, and on trying to track down what the other facets are which
seem to interact with early neutering (and act without it), unless we can
somehow find a way to get the USDA to go with tougher shipping age regs --
something a number of exceedingly excellent people haven't yet managed
despite a great amount of work on their parts.
 
I'd REALLY like to eventually see good sized scientifically conducted
studies of early neutered vs.  unneutered vs.  late neutered, of location
vs.  location (in case there's some viral component which is less seen
elsewhere), etc.  to get base-lines, but of course, until there are enough
contributions (to the Morris Animal Foundation, Veterinary Schools, and
Research Hospitals such as the AMC) toward ferret health studies by ferret
owners there just won't be the monies to do such things except perhaps as
someone's doctoral or masters thesis; we could possibly get some very
reasonable directions (or might find some useful false trails to be
avoided) if an FML vet/vet student/epizoologist/statistics graduate student
(or group of same) works up medical guidelines and then the VETS of FML
ferret owners report directly to that person using those guidelines (to
limit variables while reducing errors in the interpretations of data).
 
It would also be useful if the rate of asymptomatic adrenal hyperplasias at
deaths for other causes were known; hey, we should know how common they are
in general but we don't and having had ferrets die with asymptomatic
adrenal tumors found incidentally I have to wonder if they might more
common than thought.  This could be a situation like human slipped discs --
they turn out to not be at all unusual so the important question for
treatment then becomes "What differentiates the cases in which this
condition causes problems?".
 
As you folks know, there have already been multiple adrenal surveys by
others.  (I think Bob's is available through the FML.)  One thing looked
for in those was whether MF ferrets had any higher incidence of adrenal
tumors than non-MFs.  The large shelter survey found that among in-shelter
ferrets there was a higher incidence; the two large non-shelter surveys
did not find a greater incidence among Marshall ferrets and one went so
far as to look at if shelter ferrets have a higher incidence than similar
non-shelter ferrets once they are established in a home and found no
difference in rate in that situation.  If these were reliable then one
needs to look at what might be different among ferrets at shelters (and
consider that some component -- possibly early neutering, possibly missed
reproductive tissues, possibly simply early wounding, possibly genetic) may
interact with a situation more often found among shelter animals.  Shelter
animals (before or in-shelter) often have had less medical care than others
(before), poorer diet than others (before), higher amounts of stress in
their lives (possibly both depending on shelter), plus in any setting with
large influxes and large populations there are also likely to be more
infectious diseases and parasites floating around so the disease rate
(stressed immune sytem) or chance of encountering a certain type of disease
might be higher at some critical time.  It could even just be that there
are too many Good Time Charlies who hand in their adrenal ferrets to
shelters.  Fewer adrenal hyperplasias are reported from other continents
but, according to two non-U.S.  breeders I know, their kits which wind up
in the U.S.  DO get adrenal neoplasias just like ones bred here, even
though their sibs don't seem to elsewhere.  (Remember that those continents
appear to have higher rates of some other health problems.)  Whether the
U.S. rate reflects U.S. vets looking for adrenals or whether it may be that
some common factor (diet, virus in our wildlife which ferrets can get (even
asymptomatically at first), etc.) -- who knows(?).
 
'T'ain't a simple problem unless something not looked at so far (a
deodorant, a cleaning agent, whatever...) is a critical factor and is found.
[Posted in FML issue 2482]