Let's see, Shona.  Very recently -- less than one month ago (January 10,
2005) -- you said that you knew of one case of a ferret choking on kibble
(I'd personally never heard of one till you said that).  How does that
suddenly change to it being among the "top 10" causes of death?  Here is
where you wrote of that case:
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/browse.php?msg=SG12255
A clarification would be appreciated because your statement in today's
FML is confusing in being so vastly different from what just said, and
also so different from what is seen in the assorted ferret lists or in
any of the vet texts I have here.
 
Offhand, here are some of the sadly too common causes of death FHL and
FML members talk about and have talked about through the years:
 
Blockage from a foreign body, from chunks of raw or dried hard veggies
or fruit, from furballs, or from a GI tumor
 
Lymphoma/lymphosarcoma
 
ulcers
 
IBD or EGE which can no longer be controlled
 
insulinoma
 
dysuria (urinary blockage secondary to adrenal disease or from uroliths
(stones))
 
complications from a difficult right side adrenal case or Addisons
problems when both came out but meds were not given
 
anemia (from parasites, from ulcers, from heat, from adrenal disease,
spontaneous, etc.)
 
cardiomyopathy types or resultant thromboses --thrown clots to a bad
location (which are usually due to heart disease but can also be caused
by some inappropriate meds including some herbals like licorice root, or
by kidney disease, or by lympho, etc.)
 
carcinoma types which have metastasized (not all that common thank
goodness)
 
kidney disease
 
accidental poisoning (also not all that common fortunately, but when it
happens often if is a matter of human meds that ferrets ingested, though
sometimes other things)
etc.
 
Reports of any problems related to food (other than uroliths of two
types, diet for special medical needs like insulinoma or ECE, and getting
ferrets to again accept non-soup foods) are very rare.  I do recall one
yellow fat disease report within the last year (from Quebec as I recall)
-- the first I've heard about in decades -- but can't recall which list
it was one or if it was a private question asked directly and the person
was informed how to treat (as per _Biology and Diseases of the Ferret_ )
and what can cause that problem.
 
If you look in assorted ferret vet texts and archives you will find
multiple cases of salmonella in ferrets as well as vet mentioning how
very hard it is to treat when it occurs in ferrets.  They do NOT get it
easily but when they do it tends to be a real whopper in them and vets
write of the extreme difficulty of saving them in that situation as well
as of death often being rapid.
 
All of the good diet options have their downsides and also have their
upsides.  That's a statement no one who goes with preaching on any type
of diet is going to like, but it is true at this point in time.
 
Everyone: It always pays to understand both the risk factors and the
benefits of any diet, and to not feel guilt if you give a good diet which
simply is not the same as what someone else gives.  Right now there are
still too many gaps in the knowledge of optimal foods for ferrets so it
pays to remember that the topic can't fit into the blind faith category
but needs a lot of further good research for a number of years to come.
[Posted in FML issue 4782]