Signe,  I loved your ferret-years breakdown.  There is only one alteration
I'd make.  With Bumble at only 5 and 1/2 years you haven't had any ferrets
get old, yet.  You know how when folks look at mean human medical costs a
huge chunk of them happen in the last years of life?  Steve and I have
found it to be the same with ferrets -- that most of their health problems
happen with advanced age.  The average last year per ferret worked out for
us to be around $1,000, with our  costs up to then being very similar to
your's, so we suspect that if young ferret owners or others with restricted
incomes plan, as you suggested, an average of $125 per year for early
costs, while doing their best to save about the same amount (about $10 per
month) throughout the ferret's life for that final year, then with both
good luck and careful care there should not be any surprises which can't be
handled as they arrive.  When possible this gives the ferrets their best
shot for happy time at the end, means fewer ill ferrets showing up at
shelters, and means that no one has to fell guilty or defensive.  (Anyone
wanting free sample sheets for general home budgeting may write to me
directly.)
 
Six year old Meeteetse is having a couple of operations next Tuesday --
nothing major by the looks of it, though there are always some worries and
she's always had a minor heart problem.  She has a mast cell tumor which is
large and kicking up, and she has once again begun a vaginal infection so
it's time to go in and find the cause underlying that.  Most likley it will
be adrenal hyperplasia, though there are some lesser possibilities.  She's
got her weight and muscle mass at very good levels right now so that will
help her.
 
Heard that it sounds like Karen Rosenthal might have some new data which
leads her to suspect even more that early neutering plays a part in the
suite of things (Some of which remain unknown -- but, heck, the virus
implicated in MS was just found recently after a long, long time of
looking.) that lead up to many adrenal hyperplasias.  Have not seen the
stuff myself, yet, but she's certainly among the group of exotics
specialists for whom I have very high regard.  There's a real Catch 22
here.  In cases in which the owners don't neuter: unspayed females usually
have terrible deaths ahead of them, and unaltered males are often kept in
terrible outdoor conditions.  Backyard breeders (not the responsible small
breeders) tend to not be careful about which ferrets they breed or to which
other ferrets they breed them so the WORST atrocities and health come from
that category of breeder, plus we don't want the sort of overpopulation
which has led to tens of thousands of dogs and cats casually killed each
week which means that we don't want people breeding willy-nilly.  There are
multiple large breeders which simply are not going to release unneutered
animals.  At the same time the USDA has not been particularly concerned
about animal welfare issues which would force breeders to release animals
at a later age (thereby creating a uniform situation in which the neutering
would happen at a somewhat older age).  Lateral Thinkers, any ideas folks
haven't already considered?  Personally, as things stand I think we'll have
better luck trying to track down what the other facets which seem to
interact with early neutering (and sometimes act without it), unless we can
somehow find a way to get the USDA to go with tougher shipping age regs --
something some exceedingly excellent people haven't yet managed despite a
great amount of work on their parts.  I'd REALLY like to see good sized
scientifically conducted studies of early neutered vs.  unneutered vs.
late neutered, of location vs.  location (in case there's some viral
component which is less seen elsewhere), etc.  to get base-lines, but of
course, until there are enough contributions (to the Morris Animal
Foundation, Veterinary Schools, and Research Hospitals such as the AMC)
toward ferret health studies by ferret owners there just won't be the
monies to do such things, though we could possibly get some very reasonable
directions (or might find some false trails to be avoided) if an FML
vet/vet student or pandemiologist here wrote up guidelines and then the
VETS of FML ferret owners reported directly to that person using those
guidelines (to limit variables while reducing errors in the interpretations
of data).
 
Sukie
[Posted in FML issue 2482]