Evening All,
This is the response I received from Dr. Strain about the BAER test. Hope
somebody finds it useful.
 
As a starting point, I suggest you check my web site: Deafness in Dogs &
Cats at www.lsu.edu/guests/senate/public_html/deaf.htm.  This includes the
full text and figures of a recent review I published on deafness in dogs and
cats that is the most complete source available.  It also contains
information on how the brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) test is
performed, and a list of all BAER sites in the world I know of.  Everything
on dogs and cats will be the same for ferrets in terms of physiology and
pathology.
 
If you do not have access to the web, let me know and I will mail you this
information.  As is the case for many species (dog, cat, mouse, chinchilla,
horse, cow, pig, and human) the deafness is usually associated with the
genes responsible for white pigmentation - often called the piebald or merle
genes.  Deafness occurs soon after birth because the blood supply to the
cochlea (the stria vascularis) degenerates, destroying the hair/nerve cells
in the cochlea.  The cause of the strial degeneration is unknown, but is
thought to be due to the absence of pigment cells (melanocytes), which in
turn are missing because they are suppressed by the piebald gene.  Other
modifying genes controlling the piebald gene are also probably involved.
Inheritance is complex.
 
Hope this is of help. Let me know if there is more I can provide.
 
George Strain
 
Jan M. Lovell - Secretary
Georgia Domestic Ferret Association, Inc. Founded in 1989
Dedicated to a Better Life for Domestic Ferrets Through Knowledge and
Understanding
770-442-5917
[Posted in FML issue 2139]