From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2006-05-17 16:23:02 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] RE: surgery or no surgery, insulinoma and adrenal
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
> When the time comes to aquire another ferret, is there a breeder that has more >success than others in having ferrets with less illness?
That is actually a question which does not have a clear answer, but may come closer to having one when a genetics study at UC Davis is completed.
There might be some lines which have less vulnerability.
Sadly, though, even when a number of breeders who have had low rates of common illnesses in their own homes, those same good rates may not be seen in the households which buy from them.
There are reams and reams of annoyed letters third parties have seen from purchasers through the years saying that they think that a breeder lied. That is not necessarily so, though.
For one thing the breeders typically have whole ferrets. Being whole reduces some endocrinological vulnerability so that alone can account for a lot of the difference.
For another, husbandry practices in the homes, and the levels of good vet care also impact on health. I have noticed that the breeders who report good rates in their own homes also tend to usually be very knowledgeable about ferret health, to be very careful to cull certain lines by neutering rather than breeding them, and to be more likely to decide in favor of medical care rather than wait if there is any question. Good care means better health.
So, even though there are probably some breeders who have made questionable statements, husbandry choices probably have a large impact, being whole instead of neutered has known impact (though each has its own separate downsides which need to be learned), knowing beforehand when to get timely vet care is involved in getting better health results, and there also may well be some genetic components (possibly more ones that increase vulnerability than decrease it) so we will all hopefully know more about those in the future (and meanwhile can read what is already known in the archives of F-G (strongly recommended), the FHL (genetic posts of Dr. Brett Middleton especially highly recommended) and the FML:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Genetics/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://listserv.cuny.edu/archives/ferret-search.html
Breeders can, of course, contact the poster directly if just wanting to make a sale, but *actual health info* is useful here on the FHL such as the characteristics of lines you have found to be healthier or less healthy, etc.
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