>From:    Sukie Crandall <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: details
>Bruce Williams asked that people PLEASE remember the importance of doing
>rapid post mortems.
 
Another term is necropsy.  If you are having a necropsy done on your ferret
(if it does not pass away at your vet's office) it is very important that
you do not freeze the body.  That just will make the cells swell up &
burst - kind of like what happens if you freeze a can of soda.  Do put the
body in the 'fridge in an air tight container and take the body in as soon
as possible for the necropsy.
 
>From:    Mark Zmyewski <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: PARVO TEST POSITIVE
 
>Did you test positive for the strain of parvo that causes Aleutian
>disease?  This is an entirely different parvo than dogs get.
 
Isn't Aleutian a form of Parvo in mink?  Or am I thinking of some other
mink disease?  Oddly, Aleutian is a coloring in mink as well.  It is a
really dark brown - looks almost like a gunmetal grey.  This color of mink
dies by the age of one year.  Most deaths are from bleeding & not stopping
(from nose & mouth), not digesting food properly, and having their teeth
rot and wear down (in less than a year).
 
>From:    Leslie Blanchett <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Doritos
>You are never going to believe this.  I have two ferrets that are
>absolutely adicted to Doritos.
 
Me too.  I have a jill that will do anything for the Cool Ranch ones.  If
she can smell them, she is in your face begging.  She looks at you with the
biggest fawn eyes.
 
I would just not give too much.  Lots of salt & the chips poke into my gums
sometimes, so watch your fuzzies!
 
>From:    Kim Latas <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: My ferret died of this:
>evidently his entire urethera, from the bladder opening all the way out to
>the tip of his penis was packed solid with "grit" (that was the vets
>terminology, not mine.)
 
I am wondering what kind of litter you are using.  I am wondering if the
litter you use is what caused him to have the "grit".  When I was a
breeding manager of horses, we often had to clean the "smegma" (yeah that
is a real word) out of the stallions & geldings (males) sheaths.  Inside
the sheath a build up is in there and at the opening of the urethra in a
horse, a "lima bean" forms.  This needs to be removed or it can block the
urinary tract.  The "smegma" is made of dirt, bedding, flaked skin, body
oils, urine, etc.  Of course ferret parts are so much smaller than horse
parts . . . I have no idea if this is correct, but it makes me wonder.
 
>From:    "Ferret Aid Society..." <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Adrenal mice/Akasha & Isis
>While testing some mice for Adrenal Disease (yes mice get it too), the
>veterinarians tried an experiment.  They took a group of mice from the same
litters, early neutered 1/2 of them and left the others to mature.  To
their suprise, most of the early neutered mice came in with Adrenal Gland
Hyperplasia!  The veterinarian is very interested in doing a similar study
with ferrets, but as a Government funded hospital, he feels he wouldn't get
the funding right now.
 
I think this information is very interesting.  I think further studies in
ferrets would be a wonderful thing - but it would be very time consuming &
expensive.  Testing would need to be done the same with unrelated
bloodlines to rule out genetics.  Would be wonderful if we could figure out
what causes this!
[Posted in FML issue 2429]