From:
"Church, Robert Ray (UMC-Student)"
Date: 2002-07-12 19:12:08 UTC
Subject: Bob C: Vitamin A and CD-6
To: <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Cc: "Church, Robert Ray (UMC-Student)" <rrc961@mizzou.edu>
Message-ID: <43C5FBB91EB9CC468627C2BCB23391D32B9CA3@TIG-MAIL2.tig.mizzou.edu>
6. Distemper is so deadly, would Vitamin A have any effect at all?
Canine distemper is a Morbillivirus, but it should have been called a =93Mo=
r-killa-virus=94 considering what it does to animals. However, the questio=
n of Vitamin A nutrition is MORE than a question of its effect on canine di=
stemper. Look at the health problems of modern ferrets, which include vari=
ous tumors, vision problems, rattail, stomach ulcers, hind-end weakness or =
wobbling, and bacterial overgrowths. These are common problems in American=
ferrets, coincidentally fed dry, extruded foods that MAY be low in Vitamin=
A (or their precursors, such as carotenes). Are adrenal or pancreatic tum=
ors in ferrets entirely due to genetics, or does low blood levels of Vitami=
n A factor in their prevalence? Doses of Vitamin A have been shown to be p=
ossibly helpful in HIV infections; could it also help with ferrets sufferin=
g from ADV? Are ferrets particularly prone to Helicobacter infections that=
cause stomach ulcers, or are low levels of Vitamin A (necessary for the pr=
oper growth of epithelial cells lining the stomach) a contributing factor? =
Would Vitamin A supplementation lessen the impact of ECE? Low Vitamin A l=
evels commonly cause hind-end wobbling or weakness in mink; can the same th=
ing happen in ferrets? Are vision problems in ferrets, including cataract =
formation, corneal lesions, and blindness, significantly influenced by low =
blood levels of Vitamin A? Finally, do ferrets with low blood levels of Vi=
tamin A show a higher morbidity and mortality for canine distemper than his=
toric ferrets fed high levels of butterfat, rich in the essential vitamin? =
These are important questions (I have many more), with no available answer=
s.
I=92m not sure anyone can answer these questions considering the present un=
derstanding of ferret nutrition and the role of micronutrients on their hea=
lth. It appears a pattern of problems exists that suggests a common causat=
ive agent. Perhaps the assumption that genetics is the culprit in many fer=
ret diseases is premature, and we have to look harder at specific environme=
ntal triggers. Ferrets have been closely inbred for a couple of thousand y=
ears, and it is hard for me to accept such problems would have a sudden ons=
et in a large population, especially considering there is little evidence A=
merican ferrets have been maintained in a =93genetic bottle.=94 I have ext=
ensive evidence ferrets were frequently imported from Europe since the earl=
y 1800s. Even if Marshall Farms ferrets have genetic problems, such as a p=
redisposition for adrenal disease, why do these problems occur in ferrets f=
rom other breeding situations? I have always considered these problems mul=
tifactorial; that is, not one single reason is to blame, but many. For exa=
mple, when genetic predispositions combined with environmental toxins eleva=
ted lung cancer from =91rare=92 in pre-smoking Europe, to =91common=92 in a=
post-Phillip Morris world. I suspect chronically low blood levels of Vita=
min A, affected by North American feeding practices, MAY be a contributing =
factor in the predominance of certain ferret diseases.
Bob