>Well, it seems that every few months, with a new crop of new members,
>certain individuals insist upon reiterating the points against Marshall
>Farms."
 
I'm not a new member, and neither is Danielle Frye.  I've been subscribing
to the FML for over a year now.  I've read the MF debates MANY times and
not said anything.  I spoke up this time because it bothered me that
Danielle's information was being so quickly rejected by so many.
 
I think that, just as a baseline, some of us are just looking for a little
honesty, you know?  If MF would just say something like, "Yes, we're
shipping them at 4 weeks, due to high demand and crowding issues," that
would at least be an honest answer, and with the demand issue that is at
least a defense from a corporate point of view.  If shipping too-young
ferrets is the only way they can keep a particular pet store or chain's
business, that is also an issue of an impatient pet store jeopardizing the
ferret's health by demanding babies on schedule and not being willing to
wait another few weeks to get ferrets.  The hard part for shelter moms and
people like myself is the denial from MF that they do this, when we have
seen it with our own eyes.  In effect, it's having MF treat us like we're
liars that gets people's backs up.  Some honesty would go a long way here.
 
I am pleased to see posts from people with MF ferrets who are healthy and
disease-free.  Here's why: this proves to me that there ARE healthy
ferrets being bred at MF.  To me it means that there is a possibility that
MF could identify the breeding lines that produce kits with birth defects,
predisposition to certain cancers, and stop breeding those lines.  It's
always been my belief that MF has healthy breeder ferrets, and others who
may have genetic predispositions - as science has discovered in other
species including ourselves, cancers can have genetic links.  Insulinoma,
lymphoma, and the proliferation of just sort of inexplicable tumors that
we see in MF ferrets could certainly have a genetic link that could be
identified and if not halted, at least be decreased somewhat to lessen the
heartache of losing so many ferrets too young, too soon.  And again, with
MF being so large, their efforts at doing this could really make a
difference in the way other smaller breeders behave as well.  They are the
industry leader and smaller companies in similar lines of business will
watch MF reaction to consumer interest and demand and follow their lead.
Not all, but some will.
 
The issue of ferrets with serious and very visible birth defects is a
whole separate, and alarming, situation.  Donna has experience with MF
ferrets who have come in with twisted lower jaws.  This is a trend that's
been frightening to see.  A friend of mine was called by our local pet
store (not Petco) last year, asking her to come and take one of the MF
kits.  His bottom jaw was twisted and one half of his bottom teeth
(including his large lower canine) were stabbing into the upper portion
of his face.  He was having trouble eating.  No one caught this little
one's awful (and very visible) condition at MF as he was neutered, packed,
suposedly vet-checked, and shipped.  If someone who didn't know anything
about ferrets had bought him and taken him home, he probably wouldn't
have fared very well.
 
Reputable hobby breeders of dogs and ferrets immediately stop breeding
any line that shows birth defects, health issues, or even behavioral
irregularities.  Larger and commercial breeders tend not to, and as many
have pointed out, there is no law that they must do so.  But animal lovers
have the power to make even a large-scale breeder face up to moral issues
if not legal ones.
 
I have been happy to see this debate be discussed and be a part of it.
For the most part it has seemed civil to me on the FML, with ideas being
shared in some cases.  Whether we agree or disagree with each other on
this, we are united in our love for ferrets - those little critters that
not everyone understands!  - and underneath the surface disagreements it's
clear that everyone has the same agenda - make sure they're loved, make
sure they have homes, make sure they are safe, healthy, and happy.
 
-Heather
[Posted in FML issue 3625]