I was begged to come out of lurking mode to touch on the topic of
dental disease in ferrets, mentioned a couple of days ago (I was too
busy to answer until this morning; sorry). I am currently 80% finished
with the European part of the Ferret Project and the data on dental
disease has reached the statistical milestone of 'statistical
redundancy.' At that point, I have empirical evidence (repeatable data
generated by through observation, documented experience, or experiment)
that the sample (the ferrets I observed and measured) statistically
matches the population (all ferrets regardless of breeding program or
location).

There are two basic factors involved with dental problems in ferrets.
The first is genetics, which is actually a very minor aspect of the
problem. The reason is because the second part of dental problems is
environment, which trumps almost everything. I honestly suspect there
will no way -- short of a genetics test -- that the two factors can
be separated because of the poor record keeping habits of pet owners.
However, I can say with fairly good statistical support that while I
cannot predict which ferrets will have the genetic trait, I will be
able to predict the general percentage of ferrets in the overall
population that will have the trait. The number will be smaller than
you expect.

With that said, I suggest ferret owners ignore individual reports
or other anecdotal stories regardless of the trustworthiness of the
reporter. This isn't due to bias or dislike or ANY suggested personal
claptrap; it is because a single instance has little statistical
importance when compared to a group of data that has reached
statistical redundancy. A single report represents just a tiny fraction
of the larger ferret population and without empirical evidence, could
simply be nothing more than a statistical anomaly. In other words, it
could be just good luck or a fluke (a statistical outlier). I would
hate for anyone to assume a single report is representative of the
whole, adjust their practices accordingly, and end up with ferrets with
dental disease. I doubt if anyone who presents such an anomaly as fact
will back up those claims with funds to cure diseased ferrets. If they
will, I'll be first to sign up for them to pay my ferret's dental
bills. ;-)

Dental disease in ferrets closely tracts similar disease in both pet
cats and dogs to a degree that is quite surprising. The numbers for
the three domesticated species are remarkably similar in terms of
dental disease, and all are most likely caused by similar environmental
factors. These numbers also track those published on wild animals kept
in captivity (zoos and private institutions). Now, if such reports are
factual -- and there are so many over such a wide time span and number
of researchers that it would be difficult to dismiss them without some
very strong contradictory evidence -- and since it would be hard to
argue that different species under different breeding programs have
genetic problems resulting in statistically similar rates of pathology,
then it would follow the simplest cause for similar disease rates is
closely tied to a similar husbandry. That long and complicated sentence
means it is probably an environmental problem similar in all tested
species.

Because of proprietary obligations are publication requirements, I
cannot now release exact numbers. You may be disappointed, but it
can't be helped. What I *will* do is release general rounded-off
percentages in actuary terms (degree of risk).

Ferrets on a liquid diet: 100% risk of some type of dental disease.
Ferrets on a soft diet: 97% risk of some type of dental disease.
Ferrets on a kibble diet: 93% risk of some type of dental disease.
Ferrets on a kibble and whole-prey diet: 35% risk of some type of
dental disease.
Ferrets on a meat (non-whole prey) diet: 25% risk of some type of
dental disease.
Ferrets on a whole-prey diet: 5% risk of some type of dental disease.
Ferrets on any diet (excluding whole-prey) with toothbrushing only:
25% risk of some type of dental disease.
Ferrets on any diet (excluding whole-prey) with vet tooth cleaning
only: 20% risk of some type of dental disease.
Ferrets on any diet (excluding whole-prey) with both vet tooth
cleaning and tooth brushing: 10% risk of some type of dental disease.
Wild polecats and feral ferrets of any age with any type of dental
disease: less than 5% risk of some type of dental disease.
Wild polecats and feral ferrets of any age with any type of dental
disease that live in captivity: the risk of some type of dental
disease tracks the risks for similar diets in the pet population.

These statistics are clear in that they clearly show -- regardless
of location, genetic pool, and age -- that ferret dental disease is
clearly tied to environmental factors.

Before anyone starts starts obtusely shouting, "it is only an
hypothesis," let me also add that an independent world-class professor
on dental biomechanics has independently confirmed path numbers by
looking over a random sample (400+ skulls with matching mandibles) of
my current collection in excess of 1000 individuals. Also, veterinary
dentists from Un Penn has confirmed all my path numbers (except
fracture rates) after looking at a large living population (both tests
are in the process of publication). I have also published these data --
in preliminary form -- in a vet book (I am cited in another now being
published), several vet magazines, and I presented to the NAVC (North
American Vet Conference). I was the first non-vet to give presentations
in my group and I have a letter from one of the head vets praising my
data and research (for $1000 wager, I'll scan it and post it...come on,
bet me!). I guess my credentials are good enough, especially since they
exceed those of the average veterinarian.

Additionally, while I am about 80% finished with the non-USA part of
the Ferret Project, what I didn't state was that included in the sample
is about 500 USA pet ferrets (the sample exceeds 1400 individuals).
There is no significant statistical between the two groups when
normalized for diet. Also, I measured dozens of black-footed ferrets,
and those from a captive state had statistically similar problems of
pet ferrets on a similar diet.

Friends, these are powerful findings. They suggest that carnivores in
general are adapted to a whole-prey diet to such a degree that they
suffer dental disease when not provided with one. The farther you go
from such a prey-based diet (such as to a soup or gravy), the higher
the risk of dental disease. The closer you are to a whole-prey diet (an
evolutionary diet, or E-diet), the lower the rate of dental disease.
You can argue the numbers if you want, but just saying it isn't so or
just a hypothesis has NO value (as in none, zero, nada, zip) unless
accompanied by empirical evidence of similar statistical power.

In ferrets, kibble does very little to keep teeth clean. I hypothesize
the reason is due to two factors. First, the ferret has a very sharp,
chisel-shaped carnasial tooth and kibble fractures before it rubs and
cleans the tooth as seen (in a minor way) in larger species. Second,
wet kibble turns into a mush as sticky as and little different from
soups or gravies. The probability of this hypothesis being true is
more than 99% (the next probable hypothesis ranks only a mere 22%
probability).

So, what does all this mean? It means that if your ferret is eating
anything other than a whole-prey diet, it will most likely have dental
disease in it's future (the presentation of disease will vary from mild
to severe based on age and length of time on a particular diet). The
older your ferret, the greater the risk and more profound the disease.
If you don't provide your ferret with a whole-prey diet, the only thing
you can do to approximate an E-diet is to brush your ferret's teeth AND
have a vet clean them when needed. When you do this, while you can have
some dental disease, it is likely minor and probably not enough to
result in other disease.

Why is all this important? Because in *ALL* species studied, dental
disease will evolve from tartar to periodontal disease, and that
condition can eventually result in organ disease and systemic
infections. A new paper has called periodontal disease a greater killer
of humans than even the plague. Since human studies track with those
of other studied species, and ferrets are a model of human periodontal
disease, I think it is a fair assumption periodontal disease is deadly
to ferrets as well.

The Ferret Project is not yet complete. I still need to visit random
locations in the USA and Canada to take similar measurements and
observations (I hope to get funding to do this in 2010). While my data
now is stronger than almost anything published in the vet literature, I
am not trying to convince vets. I want to have such over-powering proof
that the ferret food manufacturers cannot argue the point anymore.

I cannot with any conscience ignore these data, try to explain them
away without proof, or argue anecdotal reports trumps statistical
redundancy. My ferrets deserve it, your ferrets deserve it, and all
ferrets -- and carnivore pets -- deserve it. Anything less is
unexceptable, regardless if from a pet food maker or an individual. It
is a global problem, but it is one we can fix. IF we have the will.

Ok, back to lurking mode as I continue working on the project.

Bob C
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[Posted in FML 6588]