I had no idea what pregnancy tests tested.  Thank you, Andria!
 
Dr. Nico Shoemaker in the Netherlands is currently studying (among some
other aspects) the possibility of medical inhibition of the gonads
instead of surgical removal in hopes of getting something that will leave
the right feedback without having ferrets go into season.  He has done a
LOT of work on ferret endocrinology; his doctoral thesis is recommended
as a purchase.
 
Debbie, YES!  THANK YOU!  You wrote in part:
 
>You know people, some of you are one way and are forgetting the other
>aspects causing good or bad health of our furkids.
>
>There is more to a ferrets health being good or bad than just what they
>are fed.  Genetics & environmental influences play a MAJOR part in how
>long out furkids will live & how healthy they will be.
>
>Have you ever thought about how ... breed...
>
>What about environment? ... litter ... water... light... vet
>care...Smoking
>
>Everyone needs to LOOK at the whole picture before determining what is
>good or bad for their or anyone else's ferrets.  It's not just what you
>feed them!
 
YES, YES, YES, YES, YES!  EXACTLY!  THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT POST!
That is why studies control variables.  With ferrets among other things
that help shape health are things like past disease exposures, and
whether the ferret is whole or not.  Without the variables being
controlled it is possible to know that something is being done right if
the sample is large enough, but not which thing or which combination.
 
For me, the bottom line always winds up coming back to health (mental and
physical) and longevity.  To heck with appearance when it does not affect
either of those as far as I am concerned.
 
I think that this post in Ferret Genetics will really intrigue a number
of people here.  Brett is a geneticist and statistician and is a
professor of the former in a major university.
 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Genetics/message/3695
 
Notice, among other things that he writes:
 
>I would much rather see breeders concentrating on traits that are
>"invisible", but are much more important to the *ferret*.  Wouldn't it
>be wonderful to someday have a line of ferrets that is immune to
>distemper and never needs vaccination?  Similar things have been done
>with chickens and pigs!  Wouldn't it be wonderful to someday have
>ferrets that easily live to be 15 years old and never get adrenal
>disease?  It might be possible!  All of these things are subject to
>genetic control, at least to some extent...
 
-- Sukie (not a vet)
Ferret Health List co-moderator
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives fan
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
replacing
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org
International Ferret Congress advisor
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 5195]