Before I get into this next part, I just wanted to thank all those who have
helped the flow of this discussion by refraining from posting comments until
the series is finished because it allows me to concentrate on getting the
stuff out rather than defending statements.  Trying to take an in-depth look
at a complex disease with little published data regarding causes is not only
time consuming and difficult, but to then to spread them out in an attempt
to lessen reading (and FML space) burdens makes it all the harder.  Thanks
for (private) letters of encouragment, and more thanks to those possessing
the maturity and insightfulness to withhold comments until the series is
finished.  Especially after today.
 
So far I have compared basic environmental differences between ferret
ownership in the USA/Canada vs. everyplace else.  But environmental
differences are not just food, housing and lighting.  By using the word
environment, I am referring to anything not of a genetic nature.  In other
words, your genes allow the potiential of growing to six feet, but outside
factors can make you shorter (or taller).  American ferrets can be exposed
to unique environmental factors that are not typically found in other parts
of the world; at least not in the same degree.
 
Paramount among these factors are two which I will discuss; shelter
conditions and neutering.  I expect to raise some eyebrows in both areas.
When I discuss shelter conditions in the USA, I am not discussing filth nor
inadequate conditions, so *NO* comments on that.  During my travels, I have
visited maybe 35 shelters, and not one, even on a bad day, was unsafe for
the ferret.  In some shelters, the amount of resources spent was
outstanding, with ferrets being given wonderful care.
 
I'm thinking of something else; specifically, stress.  Ferrets are
domesticated polecats, and as such follow a predictable mustelid pattern of
behavior (albeit somewhat modified by the constraints of domestication).
That means ferrets are territorial and solitary animals, and indeed they
are, as feral conditions and lab experiments have shown repeatedly.  But
most mustelids, including ferrets, will establish a sort of dominance
structure when forced to live together.  Eventually, they accept each other
more as siblings than anything else as the community establishes.  With a
few exceptions, this never happens in shelters.  Ferrets come and go, cages
are stacked next to and on top of each other, and the entire room is filled
from floor to ceiling with the odors of strangers.  If the shelter is full,
human contact can be short.  Its no wonder that shelter ferrets can be
nippy, many show signs of immune supression, or even blow their coats.  I
commonly heard shelter operators say, "this little ferret is sufferring from
stress right now..."
 
Of all the replies, almost 70 percent said their ferret was either adopted
from a shelter or lived in shelter conditions for part of their lives (In
this category, place getting thrown in a box and stored behind plexiglass in
a pet store until sold).  Only three out of ten ferrets reported to have
adrenal problems came from private breeders.  On the surface, this might be
seen as evidence that commercial ferret farms are breeding ferrets with
compromised genetics, but it could just as easily mean that there may be a
common environmental trigger.  One other thing; when a privately bred ferret
was adopted from a shelter, they also had the same 70% chance of contracting
adrenal disease down the line.
 
Hard to belive, isn't it?  I have three fairly good papers describing
stress-related problems in ranched mink, who show such symptoms as
hyper-aggression, hair loss, diarrhrea, extreme apathy, neurotic behaviors
and self-mutilation.  Another paper talks about how mink will form a ranked
social grouping when forced to live together, just like ferrets, and once
the dominance relationships are set up, rarely fight, just like in ferrets.
But when placed into conditions where they are constantly exposed to unknown
mink, even the sight of another mink causes quantifiable stress.  Now, the
papers are really concerned in reducing fur injury, and the mink become
coats long before adrenal disease would have a chance to become apparent.
The reason I am mentioning the studies is because 1) no such study exists
for ferrets, 2) mink and polecats are acceptable analogs for ferrets, and 3)
the confinment and close proximity of mink closely parallel that found in
ferret shelters.
 
BTW, the fur farmers found placing wood barriers between cages to block
visual views was effective in reducing stress, even if the mink could easily
smell each other.  The only other effective stress-reducing procedure was
increasing the space between cages.  Could this be a factor in adrenal
disease in our little furbutts?  I suspect it is at least a part of the
problem, but I admit there has been no specific study looking into the
issue.  More comments later.
 
The other issue is early neutering.  This is a monster can-o-worms.  Let me
define early neutering.  Growth patterns vary from species to species; in
most, the onset of sexual maturity is prior to the mammal reaching full
growth.  But not in most mustelids.  The ferret reaches 90-95% of its growth
in the first six months.  By the end of the first year, its bones have
stopped growing and are fusing together.  This is before or at the onset of
the first possible reproductive cycle.  I define early neutering as
neutering before the growth cycle is complete.  Late neutering is after the
growth cycle is complete.  I assume a growth cycle is complete when the
ferret has reached 90% of a typical adult weight, because even though the
skeleton has stopped growing, the ferret can still put on weight, especially
the males.  In an unneutered male ferret, this is muscle mass due to
testosterone; in unneutered females, its body fat.
 
Now here is an instance where statistics can fool you.  The survey reported
early neuters had almost a 80% higher rate of adrenal disease compared to
late neuters.  Sounds terrible, right?  The problem is, whats the percentage
of early neuters compared to late neuters?  At least 80%?  When I normalized
the values, I found early neuters and late neuters to have about the same
rate of adrenal disease.  The stats have other problems as well; the FML is
not a typical slice of ferretdom--not even in the USA--and FMLers are far
more likely to adopt sickly ferrets than other people, which has a serious
impact on the numbers.  For both reasons (and more, including a possible
bacterial or viral link) I cannot determine if early neutering has a
definate negative impact on the ferret in regards to adreanal disease.
Size?  Absolutely!  Adrenal disease?  Just can't tell.
 
What is interesting about the survey is it showed females were twice as
likely to get adrenal disease as males.  This could suggest adrenal disease
was sex- or hormone-linked.  Breeder females had the lowest incidence of
adrenal disease, followed by breeder males.  I don't trust the numbers
because the reported sample was much too small, but it does suggest a
hormone-link.  Or does it?  Are breeder animals housed or handled
differently than neutered ferrets?  Do they handle stress differently?  See
how the question becomes convoluted and difficult to define?
 
We are almost at the end, just a post to tie things together and a post to
suggest courses of action.  Then feel free to pepper me with any questions
you wish; but I'll say right now, I'll only answer those questions asked
politely and will ignore any rude question or questioner.  This isn't about
who is right or wrong, nor is it about me or you.  Its about a serious
disease attacking our ferrets and a simple exercise attemping to define the
questions, because currently, there are no answers.
 
Bob C and 20 MO Sockoholics
[Posted in FML issue 2225]