Have to wonder about something.  It's been pointed out that early adrenal
growths might be increasing in frequency.  It certainly seems that way to
some shelter folks, though, as we all know, perceptions can be tinged by
noticing something more.  That's one of the reasons that numbers often
don't mesh with impressions.
 
Anyway, I have been thinking about what could increase the frequency of
that specific subset.
 
It could be changed conditions, but many of the shelters say those have
not changed.
 
I suspect that it is NOT likely to be a genetic aspect causing more early
ones.  Here's why: if you have populations with a starting genetic
frequency and do not eliminate groups from the breeding population then
the frequencies will remain about the same.  If you happen to add genetic
material from groups which have less of a frequency of the given problem
then the frequency should actually reduce IF the problem is a genetic one.
Instead, there seems to be an increase in early expression of the disease
and also seems to be an increase in expression overseas.
 
It certainly is possible that neutering contributes to adrenal growths
happening because they seem (note "seem") to be of lower frequency in
whole ferrets compared to neutered.  On the other hand, there still are
no numbers on that score, and there is nothing which shows any difference
between 6 month neuters compared to earlier neuters at this point, either.
There might be a difference, but there might be none.  The time frame may
not be large enough to matter on that score (though it may matter for other
things such as skeletal growth)..
 
Adrenal growths are either being recognized more in Europe or they are
increasing in occurrence there if what some folks there have said matches
actual numbers.
 
Now, no matter what is contributing to adrenal growths it's not likely to
be a simple picture.  There seems to be a possible species tendency to
such growths just as there are ones we humans are more likely to have.
They certainly are a common old-age disease, but we all know that every
species has it's old age diseases.  Very likely several things have to
interact before a growth can start.
 
What I can't help wondering is if there actually are more early adrenal
neoplasias now than before, then why?  If there actually are more showing
up in Europe, then why?  It's possible that some of the new foods are not
optimal without anyone knowing it; it's possible that more ferrets are
exposed to too much light for burrow dwellers, or possibly a pile of other
things.  What I keep coming back to is the "Silent Virus" hypothesis some
vets favor which calls for changes caused by a silent viral infection in
combination with other factors setting the stage for such growths later on,
and wondering if perhaps that virus jumped the pond, and if perhaps it had
for a long time not been present at some breeding locations because they
kept themselves sealed off from visitors but that now some ferrets might
be having exposure in utero.
 
The one thing I move more and more away from is thinking that it might be
genetic in cause (beyond the species having it's own general tendency in
that direction).  That just seems to fit less and less as a possibility.
The pattern doesn't mesh with that.
 
This mean nothing, of course.  It's just musing, nothing more, but perhaps
others have wondered about the same thing and noticed some puzzle pieces.
Comments, or is it a tired topic?
[Posted in FML issue 3098]