From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2004-11-30 19:44:45 UTC
Subject: RE: melatonin fears
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <3794268.1101843885072.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
FHL members: PLEASE, DO NOT PANIC!
This is an incredibly unheard of instance and the cause is not clear.
There are DECADES of research with melatonin in ferrets and it has consitently been safe.
Remember that melatonin is something ferrets' bodies and our bodies make in our own pineal glands when we get full darkness. We all have it in us and we all benefit from its presence.
These ferrets either got into something toxic without the poster knowing it, OR the melatonin was tampered with, OR there was a terrible manufacturing error with that batch.
Tampered with products are rare but they do happen (our tampered with new car almost killed us both about a decade ago thanks to the manufacturer having an unhappy employee), and everyone does need to at times be reminded of that possibility and to not use anything which looks tampered with.
Hopefully, testing of the product was done to see if the cause really was in the melatonin because we all know how ferrets get into things so they might have poisoned themselves with something hazardous and it just wasn't spotted at that time.
Testing the melatonin to know for sure is essential AND reporting it if it is the cause is also essential.
Honestly, I seriously considered rejecting this post because of possible panic among those few people who wouldn't read it through and then think about the large amount of research out there, and the possible ways this could occur. The reason I let it through is because it did not violate any rules, and it is important to think about things like ferrets defeating ferret-proofing, and about product tampering, and also because perhaps she did run into a rare manufacturing plant error (also something to report to the authorities and the manufacturer -- and that is said as someone who recently had a bad fall due to a poorly made product for those with a type of handicap and who did report it to protect others).
Please, don't panic. Yes, what happened is truly horrible and sickening, but the cause is not at all clear especially since what is mentioned is so unheard of.