http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/Diseases/ is now up as an addition to the MSU Ferret Health Advancement site. I'll make a few points here but there is a huge amount more at that website. <http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/Diseases/Introduction_And_Neuropathology.pdf> Provides a good introduction and parts can be useful when teaching others about ferret basics. Since they also do health work to help BFFs you will see a picture of one of those, too. After the general basics there is info on basic maintenance and on common medical problems that anyone with a ferret needs to know about and know how to recognize. These comprise an important minimum that ferret people need to know. Then it goes into some serious neural problems such as Neural Tube Defects. Some of the problems discussed in the various sections at the MSU Ferret Health Advancement have genetic components such as color diluted ferrets being more prone to neural tube defects. There is a photo containing anecephalic fetuses. These fetuses can not survive out of the uterus. These are fetuses who are missing a major portion of their brain. I don't know if ferret fetuses with this can cause uterine rupture. With human fetuses who have the condition some develop a combination of hydroencephaly and frozen limbs with those two things simultaneously resulting in the inability to deliver normally but the uteruses also tend to become overly full with fluid and to rupture when a caesarian cut is made, usually rending the uterus useless for the future. (This is the rare condition for which the so-called "partial birth" approach was used in order the save the uterus, but with a ferret I suspect the uterus would instead just be sacrificed if they can have that complication. Does this pregnancy complication happen in ferrets?) In that section some conditions I know nothing about so I pulled out my trusty veterinary and medical dictionaries to begin learning though I can't find all terms in then so will have to look more widely for my own edification. Here are are some of the other deformations more often seen with color dilute fetuses: spinal dysraphism ( incomplete spinal fusion), too much fusion, incomplete cerebrum, fissure of the cranium and cerebrum, and more. Neural tube defect (another birth deformity is also shown. Astrocytoma brain tumors are discussed. <http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/Diseases/Endocrine_And_Hematopoietic.pdf> Anyone who has had ferrets any length of time will advise people who haven't learn the endocrinological section here next. It opens with those pancreatic symptoms many people know so well. The more rare pancreatic things like lymphoma there or carcinoma there are not covered. The following section is right up Karen's interest alley since it is on types of adrenal diseases. They even show an adrenal teratoma, a "monster tumor" which grows tissue types such as skin, follicles complete with fur, bone or more in the wrong locations. This section illustrates why sterilized ferrets are more likely to get adrenal disease and why that can be at a younger age than in whole ferrets. That is followed by another common ferret health problem: enlarged spleen, including at what size increase there is an increase in the threat of rupture (10 cm). Next come types of lymphoma/lymphosarcoma, the most common malignancy of ferrets. Now, that might surprise some people who do not realize that most cases of adrenal disease and of pancreatic disease are not malignant (in other words, they are not "cancer") Most cases of pancreatic disease are insulinoma rather than lymphoma or carcinoma in the pancreas though both of the latter two can occur on a rare basis. Most cases of adrenal disease are hyperplasia. I don't know what type of lymphoma the ferret with with bloody face and eyes has in that photograph so will try to remember to ask. Does cutaneous lymphoma ever look like that? As I recall, Pam's vet has used something for Cutaneous Lymphoma which has had good results. That will be in the archives. Actinomycosis is the next topic. It looks like traumatic injury may be at the route of those cases. Then comes a subject that Danee has often taught to benefit us all: Aleutian Disease. Besides mustelid hosts it has been found in raccoons so it might be useful to find out if it occurs normally in other procyonids, and perhaps also look in bears -- just thinking taxonomically there... Notice that ADV has had a resurgence in ferrets, that there might be new strain. New outbreaks are having almost 100% morbidity ( rate of disease in a population) and mortality (deaths) with the disease being long lasting so that death is usually in a matter of 2 or 3 years. Besides being a health topic ADV is a genetic topic. Some types of animals are more vulnerable to catching it. Among minks those with dilute colors certainly are. The symptoms are given. Notice that is makes some problems like gastric ulcers and interstitial pneumonia more likely, so in some cases finding those still has to taken one step further to get to the root of the problem. 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 [Posted in FML 6369]