To Marylou Matthews
 
 
>One question I wish to ask of you:  Does neutering/spaying/descenting
>of ferrets prior to age six weeks cause problems to the immune system?
>with tumors, one with diabetes.  All seven had been neutered/spayed &
 
    Marylou - I do not know of any statistics on the effects of early
neutering on the immune system of ferrets.  I see a fair amount of tumors in
intact ferrets, but I don't see a lot of intact old ferrets (5-7 years) so
any results I may have are probably not statistically significant.
 
    Ferrets commonly develop tumors and enlarged spleens.  Your experience
is not significantly different than most of the rest of ours.  The cause of
the enlarged spleens, in my opinion, as a result of many autopsies is a
common chronic inflammatory disease of the ferret stomach known as
helicobacteriosis, and this is seen in almost 100% of older ferrets.
Tumors, especially insulinoma and adrenal tumors, are very commonly seen in
older ferrets.
 
    Every species has a certain group of age-related diseases.  In ferrets,
it's tumors and heart disease.  In cats, it's renal failure.  Old humans -
heart disease, tumors, and if you live long enough and are a man - prostatic
disease.
 
    For someone to do this study, they would have to get a group of young
ferrets, never neuter them, and let them live out their normal lives, all in
the same surroundings, same diet, etc.  Then monitor what diseases they get.
This is a very expensive proposition, and not one that there is a lot of
return on.  This is why it's probably never been done.
 
Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP                                   Dept. of
Veterinary Pathology
AccuPath
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
[log in to unmask]  OR                                 Washington, D.C.
20306-6000
[log in to unmask]
(202) 782-2600
[Posted in FML issue 1263]