From:
sukieferret
Date: 2002-05-30 20:51:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Foods around the world
There are illnesses that are virtually eliminated or very rare in
some areas due to kibble feeding or cooked food feeding. One
is Mycobacterium avium which is a relative of TB. EVERYTHING
has it's own risk set, so when you go with something also learn
about any risks involved, weigh them, and then make your
choices.
In relation to longevity: You are going to find sporadic very elderly
ferrets anywhere and from almost any source, at least that is
how it seems to me after following a lot of these for many, many
years. I think that Bob Church's recent comments on this topic
need to be taken into account; he -- more systematiclly -- noted
that the very elderly in ferrets are like the very elderly in humans -
- noth the norm and likely not attainable. There is no magic
formula for extreme longevity beyond the norm; just isn't. The
best we have is veterinary care and maintenance which gets
them beyond the "programmed" age of about 5 years. (See BC's
superb post.)
Also, in talking with many folks in other countries, the types of
illnesses may vary, but usually there appear to be similar
proportions of ill ferrets after about 5 years of age. Makes sense
as just part of the body being more susceptibleto problems after
a certain age. (Note that I do not have hard figures on this score
anymore than anyone else apparently has.)
One thing I have noticed is that some fancies may be more
prone to medical problems, earlier medical problems, and
earlier deaths. I keep wishing that were studied. maybe it
would affect breding or sales practises and help the population
in general, as opposed to sales demand which can artifically
increase the proportions of certain alleles in the population even
if they are detrimental.
We have a lot of hypotheses, a number of which haven't even
entered the discussion this time (artificial light exposure for too
long hours, viral route, etc.), but we DO have to recognize that
they ARE hypotheses; they are not theories, and they are not
proven facts. It doesn't seem like any factor is working alone,
though that, too, may be a false impression.