We are having to feed Hubble on soft foods for a few days due to a ferret
proofing consideration that we have NEVER heard of and never encountered
despite having about a quarter century with ferrets.
 
We have had only a few ferrets who liked to steal the heavy metal shower
drain cover.  Until now they have always taken it by the edge, but today
Hubble put his mandible (lower jaw) through one hole all the way past his
canines, and locked his upper canines far away through a second hole.
When I stabilized the drain cover it took him some work but he managed to
extricate himself.  There do not seem to be any boney or tooth injuries,
and the connective tissue between the two sides of his mandibles (Ferrets
do not form a chin.) seems okay, but he has cuts to the gums behind each
mandibular canine: acute gum injury.
 
We are watching for worse injury than is showing up, and we are watching
for acute secondary infection.
 
Which gets us back to Spot years ago who had a bad infection.  He had no
other gum or dental problems so the cause was not known, but an acute gum
injury as happened to Hubble but from a different cause was possible.  We
had to lose a canine but the vet managed to salvage his bone because the
infection had not spread to there.
 
Gum problems, acute or chronic (gingivitis) certainly can happen to
ferrets, but appear to be very rare.  For example, most of the posts I
ever read about gingivitis when I take into account in combination the
lists I am currently on and the ones I have read in the past (albeit a
limited sample) are ones which say, "Hey, this can happen to your ferret
if you feed such and such" with soft food or kibble being the things
mentioned usually, and most of those -- I *think* -- have been on the
FML.  In that regard it is like many other parts of kibble discussions,
some things just are rare (which is why I have pointed out that the other
infects discussed are rare).  To give a feeling for the rarity: the FHL
has currently built up to 1,900 members over the space of 5 years.  In
that time frame 37 posts mention gingivitis.  Here is how they break
down:
 
Replies from anyone who had a ferret with the problem (and those who
also encountered a secondary problem/ possible secondary problem): 3
(2 are from one person who is the sole person mentioning encountering a
secondary problem)
 
Replies from people who did *not* mention ever going through gingivitis
in a ferret advising vet care and home care to someone else (including
such posts from me): 18 (possibly 19 because one talking about protracted
feeding of soft food is unclear if he meant having encountered actual
problems or avoided them with care)
 
Posts from people whose ferrets either do or might have gingivitis at
the time of the post (and increase these numbers by one in your heads
just to be most fair because I can't recall if someone who recently
talked with me privately was on the FHL, FML, Miamiferrets, or just
talking privately): 8 (possibly 9 because one talking about protracted
feeding of soft food is unclear)
 
Ones that simply had gingivitis in something quoted rather than being
part of the post: 6
 
Mention of other diseases that can increase the chance of developing
gingivitis: 1
 
(It's a great post from 4 years ago on ADV, BTW, and mentions that in
_Biology and Diseases of the Ferret_ it says that ADV can bring on
either gingivitis or cardiomyopathy, or both:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG10899
but I don't know the current data on that.)
 
Now, I noticed that one situation in which two mentions were for one
ferret, but did NOT go through the others to see how many of those
mentioning having or having encountered gingivitis mentioned the same
animal more than once.  So, being most fair the maximum number of ferrets
mentioned on the FHL amoong a huge number of members, over the space of 5
years as having or having had gingivitis is between 10 to 12 ferrets
total, and that is a list where people do provide health care and where
the diets range across the board, from sick diet soft foods, to kibble,
to cooked home made foods, to raw foods.  It is safe to say that a low
estimate for the average membership during the 5 years would be 800 to
1,000.  It also would be safe to say that a low estimate for the average
number of ferrets members have would be 2 or 3 each.  So, about 2 ferrets
per year if they are spread out over the length of time, but let's be
generous and let it be 3 would come out to be something like 2 in every
thousand ferrets (1/500) having gingivitis among members' ferrets
(including previously abused adoptees), even when you round numbers up to
be even more generous (making gingivitis rate look larger), and no matter
what the diet is.  Since most cases were earlier in the FHL's life it
says to me that *****most people have learned how to provide dental care
well enough to avoid gingivitis, no matter what the diet is*****.  Also,
I do NOT know if the person whose ferret had heart problems first had ADV
(See note above about the vet text.), so will assume it did not, and in
that case think of 1 in 5,000 for the rate, but again notice that the
numbers are not scientific and are leaned to present the worst case
scenario.
 
Granted, that is a NON-scientific sampling, but it sure seems that
gingivitis gets mentioned a lot more than is it is actually acquired by
ferrets, though rates of such reporting can be deceptive for multiple
reasons.
 
BTW, we have never had a ferret with gingivitis, and we haven't even had
many at all with cavities.  There is a lot to be said for options like
Foamy Fries (a huge favorite here and I need to get more), cooked chicken
cartilage to chew (also a great favorite here), Cheweasels and Marshall
Chews (The latter is the same product and if licensed from the Cheweasel
people, who, BTW, were FML ferret people who began their products right
here!), and food flavored enzymatic toothpastes which can be used with
brush or cheesecloth on a finger.
 
I already sent 3 posts today (Sunday), a fun one and two which tackle
people's health questions if I recall right, so I will have to hold
this until after midnight and hopefully will remember to send it then,
and I'll take off my sig this time to save space.
[Posted in FML issue 5208]