>From: Bob Rudich <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Food for thought >>... Has anyone feeding ferrets a hgh-bulk diet developed ECE, and if so, >>how bad was the occurance? I have no data, but my gut tells me there could >>be a correlation. >A shocker, but I have to disagree with your premise. First, ECE seems to >have started in the Eastern US and spread slowly Not sure how slowly counts as slowly. About 3 years coast to coast. Probably less. ECE is hard to blame on low fiber diets. The only ferrets that exhibited any symptoms in our colony were those that brought it in. They were fed a diet that would have been higher in bulk than those that didn't get sick. Now if you want to talk about the OTHER problems - maybe. The cancers and all. >I fear that the likely answers to this question are more likely to track the >cancer in foreign ferrets issue. A while back it was widely held by some >that foreign ferrets got NO cancer, it was a US thing. At the same time as the cancers arose in ferrets in the US we went from "cheap grocery cat foods" to high quality foods. The areas outside the US are now going to the "better" foods. Definitely speculative and anecdotal. Wouldn't even say we believe there is a connection. Just something to think about and maybe study. >The US has more widescale experience with ferrets as house pets and there >is clearly a great deal of variation in diagnostic and treatment skill here >(in owners and vets). This we firmly agree with. Still get questions from folks about the hair loss thing. Well thats usually an easy call with the experience of the past dozen years or so. Before that it would not have been known to be adrenal cancers. Wouldn't be remembered as such but just some unknown disease. >From: Anonymous Poster <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: CDFA, Alert/CrestlineCaCa,Plumbing, [KW,lanceCa] >So I Take great offense of any bashing of these very important >organizations. Strongly agree here. CDFA is still fighting the fight - just differently. CFL is fighting that other fight. Support BOTH. >Boing a light just went off- I don't of any other pet owners, but ferret >owners who consider ferrets -KIDS. Actually most types of pets have folks who call them their kids and far from all serious ferret folk consider ferrets their kids. >From: Maria Matijasevic <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: ferret carry bags >hi! can anyone reccommend a good ferret carry bag? Two best choices are Warm Fuzzy sacks and leads or the bags from FARI/Holly Cyr. WarmFuzzy Rescue /harnesses C. & Shirley Hertzog RD 2, Box 2118 Fleetwood, PA 19522 610-926-9087 [log in to unmask] 610-916-3020 call 1st Holly & Moe Cyr 181 Stony Ln N. Kingstown, RI 02852 401-294-6309 >From: John Keahey <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: HELP! NEED Help with breeding Send more specific questions to us privately. We'll send the preliminary breeder FAQ we put together. The answer is way too long for the Digest.. bill and diane killian zen and the art of ferrets http://www.zenferret.com/ mailto:[log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 1914]