>One other thing I have noticed, we seem to have a lot less serious
>medical problems in our ferrets over here. Could this be because of the
>fact that we have no major company pumping kits out all year, our
>ferrets we get from breeders and only at spring/summer time.
Well, you know, I'm not convinced that there are fewer life-threatening
medical problems in places other than the U.S., though there may be
different assortments in some situations -- it still needs to be sorted
out how real any differences are.
There may not be differences in the numbers of non-life threatening
things.
Actually, no one even knows if it might not be that the types and
proportions of some medical problems may not be similar in areas with
similar husbandry practises. For example, where the ferrets are more
likely to be whole adrenal neoplasia may be reduced but genital tumors,
anemia, etc. would be more commonly seen. Remember the surprise in
the Netherlands when some of their vets studied adrenal growths. The
accepted belief was that adrenal neoplasia was rare there and more
common here; on study it was NOT the case that it was rare there at all.
My impression is also based on something like 18 years on-line discussing
ferrets, over 2 years co-moderating a health list, and before that for a
while having a list for vets. (I'm not a vet but a non-vet was needed to
do the scud work.)
I DO think that it appears that the number of medical problems may
increase with some types of fancies and that when they increase in any
given population that can have negative consequences, but those stories
seem to come from almost everywhere.
Otherwise, for the most part, things like health, longevity, and those
special ferrets who go unusually long seem to be everywhere. I think
that it SEEMS like there are more health problems here just because there
are so very many ferrets represented, there is so much discussion of
health topics, and a high proportion of vocal people is willing to spend
big bucks to provide medical care which is not the case everywhere.
Remember that if the average number of ferrets per FML member (with most
members seeming to be in the states) is 5 then there are 15,000 ferrets
represented here on the list (which, BTW, is about 3x the number of
ferrets in Brasil if the number a vet there gave me is accurate and due
to their required permits I think it is). In reality, there are so very
many shelters represented on the FML that I suspect that the average
number of ferrets per FML address is much higher than 5. There are one
heck of a lot of ferrets represented on the FML!
Like you, I, too, would rather that descenting was only done when
medically necessitated by infection.
BTW, my own impression at this point is that remaining whole for a given
unknown length of time might decrease the levels of adrenal neoplasia.
I'm just not convinced that 6 months is sufficient. In our own case
with males that would not be an option. Steve is massively allergic to
whole male musk. With females we could have the option of letting a
female go into heat, using hormones to end the heat and then spaying.
*****Alternatively, we are very curious about a new idea of Dr.
Delaney-Johnson's that ferrets who have had early spays or neuters can
have their hormonal stress eliminated or greatly reduced by the use of a
low level injection of Lupron during the time of year (Spring here but
I'd guess Autumn there) when they would normally be hormonally active in
a sexual sense. Since they are not reproductively viable year round it's
not like with humans where women who aren't procreating need hormonal
control all the time. For ferrets it is among their wild ancestors a
once per year hormonal change, hence a once per year medical response
hopefully accompanied by people not then throwing everything off with too
much light exposure during the non-reproductive times of year.*****
[Posted in FML issue 4230]
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