From:
rrc961@mizzou.edu
Date: 2002-09-01 03:10:29 UTC
Subject: RE: [ferrethealth] RE: Bob C: Ferret Caretaker Quiz
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <25220013.1030849829090.JavaMail.root@scandium>
This is a remarkable post, which I greatly appreciate. It also greatly illustrates how multi-factorial the issues of ferret health and lifespan are--you simply cannot look at a single issue without having an understanding of how the other issues influence the whole.
Historically, there was virtually NO difference in how American ferrets were housed, fed and cared for when compared to British standards UNTIL the 1970s. Coincidentally, the issues of insulinoma and adrenal disease (and others) were rarely mentioned until shortly after the change. In the 1970s, ferrets were brought into American homes, neutered, descented, caged in small cages, housed in large numbers close together, and switched to a dry, extruded diet. Many people have suggested problems such as insulinoma and adrenal diseases are due to some sort of genetic bottleneck, but the offspring of recently imported animals are starting to show the same "genetic" problems. Mathematically, showing the bottleneck between American and British/German ferrets is nonexistent is a simple task. It simply isn't there, and all three strains are virtually identical (exculding those hybridized to polecats).
It is also interesting to note that for the last six years, MY ferrets have been housed, fed and cared for in the historic British fashion, with the exception that they each see the vet at least twice a year and I act VERY aggressively in treating the first sign of illness. My ferrets prior to the switch had adrenal disease and died between 6-8 years old. My ferrets after the switch are still going strong, and I haven't had a single case of adrenal disease OR insulinoma since the change.
Sukie pointed out that the life spans of animals fed a natural diet were similar to those fed a dry, extruded one, so she doubted if the difference was significant. That might be true, but it is more likely that the conditions are not controlled, so other factors could be maskiing the effect. In other words, you might be gaining lifespan via diet, but losing some due to lack of exercise, so the lifespan seems similar. Such observations are invalid without stringent controls.
Thanks for the opportunity for discussion,
Bob C
Author wrote:
> Studies done with cats and dogs show a marked improvement in health and
> longevity when the animal's weight is kept low but ferrets are designed
> to carry extra weight seasonally so I'm not sure it is so much of a
> problem with them. I recon over 90% of UK ferrets are only fed once a
> day. Ferret life spans have dramatically lengthened in the UK over the
> last 10 to 12 years and pet ferrets aged 6+ are not rare or considered
> old, there are so many ferrets over 6 that shortly the veteran class at
> our shows will have to go from over 6 to over 8 or we will have to start
> colour standards to make judging easier. That's not bad considering most
> UK ferrets never get to see a vet for a general checkup. The idea of
> taking a supposedly healthy animal to a vet to be looked at has never
> caught on here. Chris
> The Wessex Ferret Club http://web.ukonline.co.uk/superzoe/index.htm
> Chris Lloyd ICQ no. 44575318