This is a true story that I will never forget as long as I live.  I got
Champ and Blaze from a private breeder.  After I picked them out, I asked
the breeder person to go get their mom and dad so I could take a picture
of all four of them together (with him holding them).  We did so.  He (the
breeder person) went to put mom and dad back in their cages and handed
Champ and Blaze to me.  Champ started crying because his mom was leaving.
I nearly lost it right there.  To this day, I can hear that little pitiful
cry.  He also cried the first time or two I bathed him.  He loves to play
in the water now.  And, to this day, he is somewhat of a little wuss <g>.
 
For every example of MF ferrets having more illnesses, another example can
be given with just the opposite.  I lost Lily, my MF girl, to lymphoma in
March.  She was 6 1/2 y.o.  I lost Blaze (mentioned above) to lymphoma in
September.  She was from a private breeder and was less than 3 1/2.  Champ,
also mentioned above, had adrenal surgery in July at only a little over 3
y.o.  Cedes is MF and is probably about 6-7+ y.o. (based on conversations
with his previous (second) owner).  He is healthy as a horse other than a
bout with ECE at the moment.  He had never even been to a vet before I got
him.  He had suspected insulinoma but that wasn't the case when we did
exploratory surgery.  Lany will be seven in March.  She is from Petersen
Farms (another large breeder, if they're still around).  She's never been
sick a day in her life other than sharing ECE with Cedes.
 
And...speaking of Cedes and the great (again) food debate; he came to me
after a lifetime of eating Friskies Ocean Flavor cat food exclusively.
I have since converted him (it took over 4 months, so you have to be
patient), but he came to me completely healthy, as I mentioned above,
and had a beautiful, soft, shiny coat.
 
Katharine
[Posted in FML issue 3255]