From:
Caitlyn Martin
Date: 2003-01-07 19:47:24 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] re: European bloodlines
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-Id: <5512097.1041972300960.JavaMail.nobody@strontium>
> > > I have experienced no lymphomas in the late alters
> > > thus far ( 6 years) and
> > > no adrenal hyperplasia's as of yet.
>
> > The "late alters don't get adrenal disorder" is an
> > untrue stereotype, and when people say this, it is
> > important to clearly limit the applicability to their
> > own experiences.
>
> Yes, i also appreciated that the posters involved have done just that.
>
Agreed. I can, with my two late alters, make the same statement as was
triple quoted above. However, one did have an adrenal tumor at age
seven and a half. The "thus far" is really important.
I think a lot of diseases we see, including adrenal tumors, wouldn't be
so alarming if we just saw them as geriatric conditions. I could easily
dismiss Podo's adrenal tumor as "he's just getting old" and be glad that
he came through the surgery last summer just fine. What scares me and
others, methinks, is how early we are seeing adrenal disease.
As Sukie pointed out, we have no concrete data. I really, really would
like to see a study of instances of adrenal disease, insulinoma, and
lymphosarcoma in early vs. late altered ferrets at various stages during
a ferret's lifespan. I don't know who would fund such a study, but I do
think it would be most informative. I know our vet believes that
ferrets which are altered after sexual maturity fare much better than
those who are altered early.
All the best,
Caity and the non-stop nine