From:
Mary H Parker
Date: 2004-08-12 03:16:13 UTC
Subject: Risks of disease in elderly ferrets
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-id: <5.1.0.14.0.20040811225142.00a00750@mail.shtc.net>
Just curious about something.....I keep reading about all the serious
illnesses in ferrets (i.e., JL, insulinoma, IBD, megaesophagus, adrenal
disease, lymphosarcoma, etc.). Does the risk of these illnesses increase
with age, or does the longer a ferret goes without developing one or more
of these actually reduce the chances they WILL develop them?
My 9+ year old MF female ferret who has been eating really crummy cat food
for years (will hardly eat anything else except a daily 2-3 ounces of
Ensure High Protein, about an ounce of heavy cream and her Nutrical) but
gets unlimited amounts of total darkness (she gets all the darkness she
feels she needs) is quite healthy, albeit a tad underweight at 1lb. 9oz.
IMO (but has been that way since we adopted her 3.5 years ago). Last vet
check (with a new vet) - all lab work was perfectly normal except liver
enzymes a little low (vet said that was nothing to worry about), and blood
sugar 71 (after 12+ hours of fasting since she wouldn't eat anything the
vet offered her). The vet stated that her teeth were virtually
tartar-free, and she would have judged her age to be no more than 5-6
years. (I am POSITIVE about her age, since I know both the previous owners
and know how long they owned her.) She gets 8-12 hours out of her cage
each day, and therefore about as much activity as she wishes.
So.....should I be MORE alert for the possibility of serious illness, OR
thank my lucky stars she's remained so amazingly healthy for so long, and
RELAX a bit? I worry so much about her the more I read here (but knowledge
is a GOOD thing, RIGHT? LOL)
Thanks for any input.
Mary