Wolfy wrote:
>  --- Really?  I wasn't noticing.  I guess I need to pay attention more
> in the genetics group lol.  I sure never thought to ask about
> cardiomyopathies related in my old deaf ferrets survey that I put up.
> However, out of the 500 responses, I don't remember that being a cause
> of death for the most part.
 
LOL!  For those who don't know 'Becca is very active there.
 
You are right that i should have been more clear.  I did use words that
indicate that hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is rare at least as far as we
know in adult ferrets (though many aren't found)-- and I don't know
anyone who has checked dead ferret infants for it -- but probably should
have emphasized.
 
Also, rates of so many growths are unknown in domestic ferrets -- the
rate of insulinomas isn't even known for gosh sakes and reports from
people's own families range from almost none to very few ever (including
our family) all the way to almost all.  So without numbers for one of the
most common growth types seen it shouldn't be any surprise that so many
other rates are unknown.
 
BTW, we lost a neural crest girl to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.  That
is a hard problem to spot and often not found till after death.  We found
it only because her wasting was a serious concern so everything got
checked including thoracic and abdominal ultrasounds done.  Hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy has caused wasting which does not stop till treatment for
the heart in a number of ferrets but why is not known.
 
> --- Yeah, a ton of literature.  I strongly suspect cardiac defect
>is far more common than what we think.  I think that maybe cardiac
>malformations are so gross that there is fetus absorption, still births,
>and high kit mortality due to this very thing (as you just said).  Of
>course, there are developmental defects overall, so I could be wrong.
>But in kits that just die suddenly, there seems to be nothing obviously
>wrong at times.  A cardiac problem would be very hard to detect in a
>necropsy.  Most of the time there is never a necropsy anyway.
 
Also a truly excellent point!
 
>> BTW, I have found myself wondering after many discussions if knee
>> patches may at times have a different genetic cause.
>
>  --- Why?  Due to the fact that it can occur without other (or many
> other) white depigmentation?
 
Because I have run into so many reports of ones without other things
associated with neural crest genetic variants in the lines, but it is
only that I am wondering and there could easily be multiple possible
causes.
 
>I think the gene pool is polluted ... sadly.  I think there is so
>much of the gene pool affected from large farms and overzealous small
>breeders aiming towards fancies that even though they are trying not
>to purposefully breed for them now, it has bled over into many lines.
 
I STRONGLY agree!
[Posted in FML issue 4835]