Dear Kim,
In response to your FML post.  The Wolcott, NY address is definitely
Marshall Farms.  I would not get real upset at this point.  It seems your
little critter has had it tough already.  I would just ask you to keep an
eye out for symptomatic signs of adrenal.  iN ANY cASE I do not want to
imply that MF ferrets are the only ferrets to get this disease.... any early
alter ferret can be predisposed to adreanl disease.  I will in the future
discuss the function of the adrenal gland and perhaps paint a clearer
picture for you and others.
 
There are other illnesses which you may see as well.  As others have
mentioned ferrets can get a juvenile lymphoma or later in life a lymphoma
which can be treated with Ok results.  I do not want anyone owning ferrets
to feel they should discard them.  Rather they should be aware of the sins
and symptoms of disorders which the ferrets MAY be predisposed to.
 
My motives here are in dealing with the merchandising methods of the ferret
mills.  They the mills - are now altering the kits earlier than in previous
years-- My OPINION ( note it is my personal opinion) is that the reason we
are seeing more adrenal symptoms at a younger age in the critters is that
they are altering them earlier in life.  I would like to see the ferret
mills push ahead the altering age perhaps to 12 weeks.
 
Considering they would lose money feeding and caring for them longer , never
mind that they would pay more to ship larger animals I would say -- this is
a dream, but then sometimes dreams come true.
[Posted in FML issue 1735]