From:
williamsdvm@comcast.net
Date: 2002-09-30 02:07:47 UTC
Subject: RE: Protection from breast milk
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <26113628.1033351667273.JavaMail.root@scandium>
Author wrote:
> mother, I
> remember being told I should breast feed my baby so he would have better
> immunity.
For any interested parties:
Just a couple of additional comments: The lack of digestive acid in the ferret kit stomach from birth to 24 (in some caes 48 hours) is not immaturity, but a programmed mechanism to prevent digestion of the large voluem of antibodies in colostrum.
Now with regards to long-term nursing, there is a different type of antibody which is produced inte mammary gland and secreted in the milk, called IgA. This is a fairly weak antibody which will line the GI tract of the kit and may destroy some types of intstinal viruses if they come in contact it - but it is not a very effective system. IgA lines the respiratory tract, the GI tract, and in some species, the urinary tract as a sort of first-line of defense against weak pathogens.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, dVM