Dear Kim:
 
>While we're on the subject of ferrets as blood donors, I have a question.
>Stimy is estimated at about 7 yrs old, (he was a rescue, hence the
>estimation).  Is that to old to be a donor?
 
A healthy 7 is not too old to be a donor.  Any donation should be preceded
by a CBC to make sure that Stimy is not anemic, which would rule him out.
 
Normally, we try to use much younger ferrets between the age of 1-3 years,
who are best suited for blood donation - their bone marrow is most able to
regenreate the lost red blood cells, and they have more bone marrow than
older ferrets.  Donors should also be ADV negative.
 
But in a pinch - any non-anemic animal who does not have a history of any
systemic disease may be a donor.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 3269]