>Subject: MF - testing the theories
>A statistically significant group of baby ferrets is obtained.  Being a
>former pure and applied maths major I don't know how many that would be.
>Any statisticians out there?  The ferrets would consist of the following
>groups ... The health of the ferrets would be monitored over their
>lifetimes.  The results should be published in a reputable ...
 
I was starting to doze off when I heard (read) someone say statistician.
That perked me up pretty quick.  First of all, I'd like to state that I'm
not taking sides in this issue.  I have 4 MF ferrets and 1 non-MF ferret.
 
I'd suggest a preliminary study to examine the effect of altering at an
early age vs altering at a later age.  You would have 2 groups of ferrets,
those altered at an early age and those altered later on.  Some of the
ferrets would be from MF, some from Path Valley (and other larger breeders)
and some from private breeders.  The only problem is that to run a truly
unbiased study, you would have to randomly select the ferrets to be altered
early.
 
This study would have to run for about 3-5 years or more.  All the ferrets
should be housed in the same place, with the same toys, and the same food,
water and playtime etc.  This can quickly become a very complex study.
 
In order to calculate a sample size, I'd need to know what the expected rate
(% is fine) of adrenal problems is in both groups.  Then we can devise a
test to see if they are statistically different.  The closer those two
numbers are to each other, the more subjects you'd need in the study.  If
someone can provide me with this information, I'd be happy to calculate the
sample size.  Beware though, It may be very large.
 
Happy Ferreting,
 
Tony & Nicky, Lucy, Toby, LuLu and Kayla (who was male until the vet looked
yesterday!!)
[Posted in FML issue 1990]