Decided to write to the ferret heath pros at MIT Comparative Medicine, Animal
Medical Center in NYC, and Morris Animal Foundation (once I regenerate their
address which is  misplaced -- anyone have it handy?) to see if we can scare up
the latest on Aleutian.  Never heard about it requiring (or being more likely
with?) double recessive allele, but my text is 3 years old.  If so, figures of
how many animals have it becomes a population genetics problem with frequency
dependent on the representation of the allele or alleles. If animals with the
allele have more offspring then the number will increase as will the chance of
double representation.  Do agree that there may be more noise than it deserves,
but whether that is so will depend on the results of research showing if it
poses a strong hazard for predisposition to more serious problems (For example,
is it as dangerous a threat as hepatitis B is to humans for later liver cancer?)
 
Rabies shedding studies are ESSENTIAL.  No one would argue otherwise.  The
problem is that less than 20% of the monies for such expensive work have been
collected by the Morris Animal Foundation. We DO think that there are MANY
ferret health topics which could use good research.
 
Was shocked that Fara had seen few convenience ferrets making it to 6 or even 5.
Granted we've been around far fewer, but with both the typical top ages we have
seen are 7 or 8.  All of our current ones are convenience and both Fritter and
Hjalmar are around 6 1/2 years.  The only one we expect to possibly pass on
younger than this (and preferably younger than 7 if our luck with Frit's cancer
holds) is our current charity case who has both deformities and intellectual
impairment.  Do you know who the breeders were, Fara?  There could be some bad
strains out there.  (I remember years ago learning about a southeastern breeder
whose ferrets were almost all inclined to cataracts.  Not all breeders are
particularly careful or well informed.)  Knew someone once with an 11 year old,
but don't recall if convenience or not.  Anyone out there with Methuselah
stories?  We do know a friend with a 9 year old and an 8 year old, both
convenience ferrets and both doing rather well except for arthritis.  Would LOVE
our's to hit 9.
 
Anyone out there in CA able to do some snooping to find out how much money the
CA national anti-ferret propaganda is costing CA at a time when essential
services are being cut?  It would be an interesting addition to actual ferret
fact press/tv/radio letters.  May actually help to shut up that #*ии#; many
people listen more to money than to facts.
 
Sukie
                                                                          
[Posted in FML 0155]