>... where small private REPUTABLE ferret breeders are concerned,
>people "DO expect these ferrets to be healthier and live longer.
>This is suposed to be the main goal of the small private breeder.
>
>As for ferrets being prone to cancer beause of their body structure,
>that's a bunch of bull. It all starts with Genetics an no matter what
>type of animals it is, wether 2 legged or 4 legged.

I think most of us agree that ferret breeders should not breed cancer-
prone strains. Some genes do cause susceptibility to cancer, and if a
breeding ferret is discovered to have such a gene, it and all its
offspring should be neutered. (Although there are cancer-prone strains
of mice that are maintained specifically because they reliably develop
the tumors that cancer researchers need.)

However, we also know that most cancers have a strong environmental
component. Stress, diet, environmental toxins, and diurnal light
rhythms are known culprits. Human cancer research suggests that
relatively few cancers are specifically and solely due to genes.

Cancer is caused by a complex regulatory breakdown in cell function.
There is no such thing as an animal genetic strain that is cancer-
free. The question is whether genes are present that make it easier,
under certain circumstances, for things to go wrong.

Analogy (probably a poor one, but it's what came to mind): Your genes
give you the potential to grow tall. Whether you will hit your head on
a doorframe depends partly on your height, but also on the height of
the door. If you are 7'4", you will certainly hit a normal (6'8")
doorframe. If you are 6'4", you will not -- unless you live in an old
house with 6'2" doors. If you are only 5'4", you are "safe" from head-
bumping, at least in anything resembling normal housing. The tall
group might be considered a "headbump-prone" group, and breeding
discontinued. (Or you could raise the doorway or environmentally stunt
the kid's growth. Tall gene does not inevitably lead to head- bumping).
Short gene seems safe -- unless the kid gets growth hormone and grows
taller than his genes would indicate. Most are in the middle category,
where they might or might not bump their heads.

We have only identified a few specific genes that open the door to
cancer, and so far as I know, none have been specifically identified in
the ferret , nor do we have this sort of genetic testing for ferrets.

Instead, breeders look at the overall health of their ferrets to
determine if any defects are present. This lumps all causative factors
together. Those ferrets, by definition unneutered, with those genes,
living in that environment. Private breeders are apt to have healther
ferrets than big farms because their ferrets live in a safe, loving,
stimulating environment. Ferrets with the same genes, but neutered and
exposed to more stress or other negative environmental factors may be
less healthy.

If a breeder ferret, healthy itself, consistently has unhealthy or
short-lived offspring, then that needs to be investigated. It could be
there is a genetic susceptibility in that line that only shows up when
the animal's normal hormonal environment is disrupted -- ie, when
neutered (early OR late). Perhaps that line has a special sensitivity
to diurnal rhythm (and face it, most of us use electric lighting at
night). These are not necessarily genetic defects, but they will have
unfortunate results if present in animals we keep as members of our
families. Since these ferrets WILL be neutered and WILL live with us in
the environment we expose ourselves to, perhaps the breeder needs to
discontinue breeding that line -- even if the unneutered animals are
wonderfully healthy and long-lived. Or they need to convince the buyers
to only expose the

It may be that our ferrets are like the proverbial miner's canary.
Perhaps they are simply more susceptible to the same environmental
factors that will eventually affect us. Perhaps, instead of
discontinuing breeding those lines, we need to adjust our home
environments so that they -- and we -- do not develop those illnesses.
Perhaps (at the risk of mixing metaphors) we need to make taller
doorways. Interesting thought.

--Claire
(Alexandra, have fun!)

[Posted in FML 5709]