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 [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML 6588]