>From:    Jim March <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Adrenal/Cancer studies
>I don't know if this is a dumb question or not, but has anyone "tracked"
>fert cancers, especially adrenal, on an "owner by owner" basis?
 
Not scientifically.  Some Pseudo-polls but nothing that is convincing.
 
>And can we find out?
 
Well some of us have been working on how.
 
>Does any exist, and can we get any that can be taken seriously in a
>scientific sense?
 
Maybe but no.
 
Wanna help?  Weve got some "science types" from the list working on the
hows and whens.  Haven't heard from them recently though.
 
>From:    Brad Falk <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Small bump on the neck
>A few days, while petting him, I noticed a small (smaller than a pea) bump
>on his neck, just above his left shoulder blade.
 
Possibly a mast cell tumor.  These are easily removed and quite often
benign.  Possibly something else.
 
BUT...
 
>The reason I think the bump might be related to the shots is because it is
>in the exact some area that I've seen the vet administer the shots.  Could
>the bump be scar tissue from the vaccinations?
 
How soon after the vaccination and has it changed size at all?  Sometimes
vaccinations leave pockets of vaccine that dissipate slowly.
 
>From:    "Regina R. Clements" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Food Frustration...
>When I went looking for TF food I was told NEVER to feed my ferret any type
>of cat/kitten food because it does not have the right nutrients for ferrets.
 
Well the diets of small wild cats and polecats is rather similar.  Pretty
much whatever they catch.  Cats would be higher on birds perhaps and
polecats would get more moles or such but despite advertising nobody knows.
 
The most knowledgeable are probably nutritionist Dr. Willard and vet Dr.
Bell who design/influenced Totally Ferret and Marshall foods respectively.
 
We really like Tom Willard and are convinced Totally Ferret is the *closest*
to perfect of the available foods.  But the ingredients for the best ferret
foods and for the best cat foods are quite similar.  Cat foods are probably
not as good as the best ferret food but probably better than the worst
ferret foods.  TF is too much for some ferrets, they become absolute slugs.
TF also turns some white ferrets yellow apparently from food dye in the
poultry - remember yellow chickens?  If you can use mostly or even
exclusively TF.  If your ferrets get too fat cut back to a different food.
 
Completely poerfectly balanced?  No.  Totally Ferret though isn't perfect
either.  We use mostly Iams *CAT* and despite dire warning about being too
low in fat and protein compared to Kitten we have some of the absolute
fattest and strongest ferrets I know of.  These guys are big and healthy.
The jills breed as well as any we know as well.  We use Totally Ferret while
the jills are pregnant and nursing nearly exclusively.
 
>From:    "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Risky possibilities/various viewpoints
>Soooo... I guess my point is that the world contains alot of different kind
>of people, with alot of differing viewpoints, so you pick your poison.  I
>mean... I mean... you make your own decisions as to what makes sense to you,
>what risks you will take, with both yourself and your pets (blah blah blah)
>and everyone lives happily or unhappily ever after.
 
We are glad more tolerant viewpoints are again becoming more common on
this list.
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1838]