Q: ...what do you think of the current MF/adrenal thread?
 
A: That it hangs by one.
 
A couple of years ago I had a great idea about changes in bone caused by the
combination of feeding and exercise.  I set up an experiment, took X-rays,
and wrote a paper for submission to a national journal.  It came back in a
few weeks, literally dripping red, with a large rubber stamp proclaiming
"rejected for publication." The reason my paper was rejected is the exact
same one that overshadows the current debate on the FML regarding adrenal
disease and MF ferrets.
 
We (the FML and shelters) have to overcome several problems with our data
before it can be concidered valid.  First, it is *NOT* enough to count the
number of incidences at shelters and on the FML, and make predictions or
assumptions.  Why?  Because the data are biased.  Right off, I can tell you
that most of the hobby/private breeders tend to be selective (or at least
more sensitive) to whom they sell their ferrets to.  The typical pet store I
have experienced could care less, so long as the check doesn't bounce.  As a
consequence, MF ferrets disporportionately find their way to shelters
because they are sold in large numbers, and because many of their owners
typically do not have the same love of the beast as us ferret fanatics.
Also, the FML owner is not the typical ferret owner.  Generally, we are more
educated, have more money (computers are not free), and tend to be more
involved in our pets than many of the people I have seen hanging around pet
stores.  (This is in no way a flame of these people; it is simply a reminder
that undereducated, even illiterate people can and do own ferrets, but not
many of them subscribe to the FML)
 
Second, for predictions to be valid, you have to account for every possible
(or at least humanly possible) alternative, and then rank the possiblities
according to probability.  For example, you might see a lot of MF ferrets at
several shelters becomeing ill.  Does that mean all MF ferrets will get ill?
Of course not.  It could be random chance, it could be because of a local
environmental problem, genetics, the result of early neutering, or perhaps
the beasties that wind up in shelters get ill because of suppressed immune
systems brought on by a lack of care prior to the shelter placement.  In
other words, even if every MF ferret came down with adrenal disease by 5
years of age, you could not scientifically say MF ferrets have that
predisposition until you eliminate every other possibility.  Kind of like
innocent until proven guilty, if you will.
 
Third, from what I've read, *no* one can adequately explain why ferrets tend
to have adrenal disease.  Without that baseline information, any judgement
is problematic.  For example, it might be an epiphenomenon of domestication,
or natural selection.  The disease normally occurs after the typical "wild"
lifespan (4-5 years), so coming down with the disease would not normally
impact the reproductive fitness of the species.  In other words, wild
polecats usually die before the disease is manifested, and we see it in
ferrets because they live longer.  This, BTW, has been recognized in many
different species, including humans, for a long time.  At the moment, it is
a hot topic with evolutionary biologists, who tend to think the reason is
nature's way of eliminating the older animals to make room for the younger
ones, as well as causing an increase in variation because the older guys
don't clog up the gene pool for inordinate amounts of time.
 
Last, the Ca Ca fish and Gestapo, and many other anti-ferret forces, love to
use ancedotal evidence (usually because of the glaring lack of scientific
evidence) to prove their point.  We cannot say, "no, no, no!  Ancedotal
evidence is not evidence at all," then turn around and use the same type of
evidence to smear MF simply because we dislike their policies.  So far, I
have not seen any evidence to prove the contention that MF ferrets have a
higher incidence of adrenal disease compared to, say, hobby breeders, other
ferret farms, overseas breeders, or polecats, and until I do, I decline to
take a position.  Maybe they do, maybe they don't, but using FML/shelter
data is not the way to prove it.
 
I could go on, as those of you involved in scientific careers can attest,
but the point is made.  We don't have reliable evidence, and saying so isn't
proof.  Some people indicate they want to start a data base, which is fine,
but it unless it addresses the objections listed above, it means nothing.
Let me use a human example.  Does a local increase in childhood cancer
indicate 1.  randon chance, 2.  environmental factors, 3.  local genetic
drift, 4.  electromagnetism at schools, or 5.  all of the above in one
porportion or another?  Just noting the occurence does not prove anything,
especially if the data collection was not blind nor random.  Without
addressing the issues I've mentioned (and others unmentioned), you can count
to infinity, and all you can say is ferrets get adrenal disease.  If your
hypothesis is "MF ferrets have a higher incidence of adrenal disease" then
prove it scientifically.
 
I am not saying to stop record keeping, nor am I supporting MF in any way.
I'm just saying that we need to understand the problem before we level
charges.  We need accurate evidence that can stand up to statistical
anaylsis.  We need basic research, interested graduate students, and
funding.  So far, we can't even get these things for rabies testing, which
INHO is a far greater problem at present.
 
I have a suggestion.  Someone should get a list of the higher institutions
that use ferrets for biomedical research, and send the information to them.
If they think they might have problem with their data because of medical
problems with their ferrets, they will push for a resolution of the issue,
or at least for the charges to be answered by MF (or any other breeder).
Unless everyone on the FML chips in a couple of thousand bucks each year, I
can't think of any other way to get the funding to perform basic research to
address the issue.  But now you have a new ethics problem, don't you?
 
BTW, I have 18 ferrets; 8 from hobby breeders, the rest are MF.  Buddy, at 8
years of age, is just starting to show signs of adrenal disease.  Stella, at
4, is probably what I would term "pre-adrenal," that is, likely to develop
the disease in the future.  Both are from hobby breeders.  All my MF ferrets
came from shelters, and all are adrenally clean as a whistle.
 
Mo' Bob and the 18 Furfaced Felons (all missing Gus)
[Posted in FML issue 1735]