From:
Linda Iroff
Date: 2002-05-22 12:41:00 UTC
Subject: re: ferret life spans
Bob--EXCELLENT post on life spans and the effect of domesticity!
Another point that people should keep in mind is that the medical treatment
of ferrets as companion animals is a very new field. Most reseach that was
done on ferrets was based on the ferret as lab animal. Only in the last
couple decades have veterinarians really started seeing ferrets as pets.
I believe (hope!) that over the next couple decades, we will see great
strides in the treatment of the common diseases of ferrets, with a
concommitant increase in average life span. For example, just in the last
few years there have been great strides in the treatment of adrenal
disease, both surgical (cryo and laser surgery) and medical (Lupron,
melatonin and other drups that are being tested).
If we can learn to better treat (and perhaps prevent or delay the onset of)
those all too common diseases of adrenal disease and insulinoma, we may see
longer average life spans for our fuzzy buddies.
Linda