From:
"Chris Lloyd"
Date: 2003-01-05 11:25:09 UTC
Subject: RE: [ferrethealth] Re: European ferrets/bloodlines
To: <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Message-ID: <000501c2b4ad$1af91ab0$0300000a@CHRIS>
Hi Jerry, from 1985 to his retirement our club vet Mike Oxenham
collected information from vets he knew around the world and was
positive that early neutering was the main cause of health problems. He
was against unneeded vaccinations and recommended that ferrets kept in
our area were not vaccinated against Distemper. He had done some
research, testing a vaccine for a drug company using some of the club
members ferrets (not mine) and wasn't very happy with the vaccine. I
don't think a vaccine was ever recommended for use on UK ferrets but
distemper is very rare in Hampshire anyway. He thought anything that
caused stress to a ferret was detrimental to its health, be it bad
feeding or housing. Like myself and the old time ferreters he thought
somewhere dark and quiet to sleep reduces stress whether they were kept
in or out doors. Luckily there has never been a culture here of giving
sweet treats to ferrets, up to the 80s most were lucky to be given
anything but bread and milk. Ferrets never evolved to handle sugar
highs; does that cause the onset of Insulinoma or stress the onset of
adrenal disease? After seeing what a reaction to a vaccination can do in
two of my dogs (one collie was ill for months) I would put them pretty
high on the stress causing scale. As UK ferrets seem to develop
adrenal/Insulinoma after arriving in the US it cannot be genetic it must
be our quiet rural ferrets cannot adapt to all the bright lights, fun
and excitement they encounter in America. Chris.
The Wessex Ferret Club www.ferrets-r-us.co.uk