http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22044328

>J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2011 Nov 15;239(10):1319-1324.
>
>Epidemiology of struvite uroliths in ferrets: 272 cases (1981-2007).
>
>Nwaokorie EE, Osborne CA, Lulich JP, Albasan H, Lekcharoensuk C.
>
>Source
>Minnesota Urolith Center, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences,
>College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul,
>MN 55108.
>
>Abstract
>Objective-To confirm that the predominant mineral type in naturally
>occurring uroliths in ferrets is struvite; to determine whether age,
>breed, sex, reproductive status, geographic location, season, and
>anatomic location are risk factors associated with urolith formation
>in ferrets; to compare features of struvite uroliths in cats with
>those in ferrets; and to determine whether there is a logical
>evidence-based rationale for clinical trials of the safety and
>efficacy of diet-induced dissolution of struvite uroliths in ferrets.
>Design-Retrospective case-control study. Animals-408 ferrets with
>uroliths (272 struvite uroliths) from the Minnesota Urolith Center,
>and 6,528 control ferrets from the Veterinary Medical Database.
>Procedures-Historical information was obtained about each ferret.
>The association between proposed risk factors and outcome (struvite
>urolith formation) was assessed. Results-Sterile struvite was the
>predominant mineral in uroliths in ferrets. Neutered male ferrets
>had a significantly increased risk of developing sterile struvite
>uroliths. A significant association was also found between increasing
>age and the detection of struvite uroliths. Struvite uroliths in
>ferrets were more likely to be retrieved from the lower urinary
>tract than from the upper urinary tract. Conclusions and Clinical
>Relevance-Knowledge of predominant mineral type in uroliths along
>with insight into etiologic, demographic, and environmental risk and
>protective factors for urolithiasis may facilitate development of
>surveillance strategies that result in earlier detection of uroliths
>in ferrets. Modification of risk factors, including dietary risk
>factors, may help to minimize urolith formation, dissolve existing
>uroliths, and minimize urolith recurrence.
>
>PMID: 22044328 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

For more ferret medical abstracts there are quite a few in the separate
FHL Archives (2nd URL in my sig lines) so kindly provided by Pam and
Eric Sessoms, and some also in the FML Archives which are so kindly
provided by Bill Gruber (final URL in my sig lines). PubMed is usually
the best place to find them.

There are three major types of uroliths among those which are
encountered in ferrets and those are also discussed in the archives.
Besides struvite (which also tends to involve alkaline urine and when
triggered by diet rather than infection to involve too much plant
protein but too little quality animal protein), there are calcium
oxalate (which can happen in either acidic or alkaline pH urine),
and there are cystine (which tend to have an acidic urine pH and
necessitate reductions in protein totals to keep down the levels of the
four triggering amino acids). Just from the huge differences in those
basics a person can see why it is essential to find out which types of
uroliths are present when they occur.

BTW, the second listed author here is someone I recognize as one of the
major authorities on uroliths in animals, because he was one of three
experts who consulted when we had two ferrets with cystine uroliths, so
this is bound to be a very good article!

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html

"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)

[Posted in FML 7233]