From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2002-12-20 17:07:10 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] RE: Adrenal Disease
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-Id: <a05200f02ba28f7493fd4@[10.0.1.2]>
Simon, adrenal growths at young ages are rather new here in the U.S.,
I think less than a decade, maybe more like half that to about 7
years.
Adrenal neoplasia in older ferrets was something that was noticed a
decent number of years before the early onset was. The first one we
had treated for adrenal neoplasia (elderly) was a few years fewer
than 15 years ago, and it was understood at that time solely because
we went to someone who was a specialist which meant that even though
work on adrenal neoplasias was quite recent at the time it at least
was known to be a problem by the person we saw.
As you say, it can be that adrenal problems are missed due to not
looking for them, because of other causes being blamed and since
baldness in elderly humans is common (which could cause a
generalization of the assumption that it is normal with age to other
species when old).
There are multiple hypotheses, both for why adrenal neoplasias occur,
and for why there have in recent years been such early ones. They
range from feeding styles, to and increase in too much light
exposure, to the way that many of the fancy lines have become common
in the last decade or so which increased to proportion of those
alleles through selective breeding for the fancies.
Personally the only early adrenal we've had here was one fancy and
she was 3 years old. We try to avoid having fancies to a large
extent (having mostly -- but not totally -- standard markings ones
and albinos). That is because we've heard good things about some
fancy lines in terms of health and longevity but we have encountered
and heard some bad things about other types of fancies in terms of
health and longevity. (Note that none of this may mean anything
since there simply are NOT numbers to know what is what: The so-so
things we've heard have been about dark-eyed whites. The good things
we've heard were about marked whites of one line but the person never
sent a follow-up. The worst things we've experienced or have heard
of have to a large extent involved blazes, pandas, spotted, or
patch-work ones, some strongly without bilateral markings on the head
(though we've heard of several with non-matched eyes who lived normal
lives), those with very short faces, those with very short limbs, and
a few born with truncated tails. Obviously, ones born with more
marked differences have often been handicapped and compromised.)
We also are careful to provide a lot of true darkness (not just
slightly dark as happens in many homes due to those now-common lights
on power strips, appliances, and so many other things, but true
darkness).
All that may NOT mean anything, of course, since any household
simply provides too small and too uncontrolled a sample for definite
conclusions to be drawn, and that includes our household so take this
as nothing more than hypothetical rambling, please...
One thing, though -- unless they simply were missed in diagnosis --
early adrenal growths are a rather recent phenomenon here in the U.S.
and our noticing mention of them post-dates early neuters, kibble,
food always available, water bottles, litter, and many other factors.
Does that mean anything? Danged if I know.