>We've seen no reason to think that other than deafness (which can cause
>problems) there is any serious health issue associated with Waardenburg
>gene.  But it should be a simple matter of checking up with the research
>done on other species that also have this gene (such as humans)
 
Just as a note, in case anyone else has known a similar ferret: we took in
a tiny little baby Waardenburg (classic coloring, too--more-or-less panda,
white feet, white tip to the tail, heavy silver otherwise) who was not only
deaf but blind as well.  He was somewhere in the vicinity of 8-9 weeks old,
and never made it to 10 weeks.  There were no obvious causes of death; we
suspect his heart just wasn't made right.  It was very sad.  Unless others
have had similar experiences with other ferrets carrying this gene, I
wouldn't think it was anything other than multiple birth defects or
something similar.
 
Jen and the Crazy Business
[Posted in FML issue 2841]