From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2007-08-05 18:17:19 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: ferrets in grass
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
See all the way through for some ferret and polecat specific studies.
This is old and is a dog study, and I don't know if these types of=20
herbicides are used any longer, but is about an herbicide associated=20
with increased rates of lymphoma in dogs
http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/83/17/1226
> Case-Control Study of Canine Malignant Lymphoma: Positive=20
> Association With Dog Owner's Use of 2, 4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid=20
> Herbicides
>
> Howard M. Hayes*,1, Robert E. Tarone1, Kenneth P. Cantor1, Carl R.=20
> Jessen2, Dennis M. McCurnin3, Ralph C. Richardson4
>
Heck, one herbicide, Agent Orange, is now considered to be a cause of=20
diabetes among Vietnam Vets:
http://www.local12.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=3D19298
(I don't know if any current herbicides have damaged the ferret=20
pancreas.)
Ferrets do differ from other animals, including us, but I figure that=20
if there is cause for caution you will want to take it, so if there=20
are fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, etc. used on your yard then=20
look them up in relation to health.
Check the ferret for things like ticks in their early instars when=20
they are very tiny. A flea comb may be useful in that regard after=20
reentering the home. Don't let puddles or ponds be used for water=20
due to the possibility of a few infections from contaminated water.=20=20
I don't know how your area is for ticks but ours has some incredibly=20
bad tick years so we tend to be aware of them.
You've probably already thought of those things and more. Here are=20
some places you might want to search:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez
USDA Lists of Ferret Studies (very comprehensive):
by topic category 2002-2006
http://nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/Ferrets06/ferrets.htm#contents
by topic category 1991-2002
http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/ferrets/ferrets.htm
by topic category before 1991
http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/oldbib/ferretla.htm
http://scholar.google.com/schhp?tab=3Dws
If you wind up with rodents that may have gotten anticoagulant bait=20
don't let ferrets get them. See:
http://www.jwildlifedis.org/cgi/content/full/40/4/688
> J Wildl Dis. 2004 Oct;40(4):688-95.
>
> Links
> Evidence of secondary poisoning of free-ranging riparian mustelids=20
> by anticoagulant rodenticides in France: implications for=20
> conservation of European mink (Mustela lutreola).
>
> Fournier-Chambrillon C, Berny PJ, Coiffier O, Barbedienne P, Dass=E9=20
> B, Delas G, Galineau H, Mazet A, Pouzenc P, Rosoux R, Fournier P.
>
(which does include polecats)
as well as
> Environ Pollut. 2003;122(2):183-93.
>
> Links
> Spatial and temporal analysis of second-generation anticoagulant=20
> rodenticide residues in polecats (Mustela putorius) from throughout=20
> their range in Britain, 1992-1999.
>
> Shore RF, Birks JD, Afsar A, Wienburg CL, Kitchener AC.
>
Those provide an excellent reason to not let ferrets eat wild=20
rodents; you never know where they may have gotten into=20
anticoagulants which can do cumulative damage in the ferrets.
These may also interest some here:
> Bull Environ Contam Toxicol. 1990 Nov;45(5):689-96.
> Links
> Organochlorine residues and heavy metals in kidneys of polecats=20
> (Mustela putorius) from Switzerland.
>
> Mason CF, Weber D.
> Department of Biology, University of Essex, Colchester, United=20
> Kingdom.
> PMID: 2124938 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
> Bull Environ Contam Toxicol. 1987 Apr;38(4):618-26.
> Links
> Toxicity of thiram (tetramethylthiuram disulfide) to mink and=20
> European ferrets.
>
> Hornshaw TC, Aulerich RJ, Ringer RK.
> PMID: 3567399 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
> Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 1984 May;13(3):357-65.
> Links
> Effects of chronic dietary hexachlorobenzene exposure on the=20
> reproductive performance and survivability of mink and European=20
> ferrets.
>
> Bleavins MR, Aulerich RJ, Ringer RK.
> PMID: 6742893 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
> J Toxicol Environ Health. 1982 Dec;10(6):929-40.
> Links
> Excretion and placental and mammary transfer of hexachlorobenzene=20
> in the European ferret (Mustela putorius furo).
>
> Bleavins MR, Breslin WJ, Aulerich RJ, Ringer RK.
>
etc.
Not everything has relay (secondary) toxicity, apparently:
http://www.jwildlifedis.org/cgi/reprint/34/2/362
Of course, there are poisons in homes, too. Here are some fine=20
resources to avoid or treat poisoning incidences. We used the first=20
ourselves one day when a climbing ferret got to a bucket in which a=20
garment was forgotten to be soaking in a laundry detergent. Luckily,=20
with that particular type of detergent at the dilution level we used=20
care face washing, artificial tears in eyes, and extra fluids orally=20
were enough but we knew what to do if they weren't thanks to the help=20
we got.
Poison Control and helpful poisoning prevention references:
ASPCA Animal Poison Control:
http://www.napcc.aspca.org
Angell Memorial's ASPCA Poison Control:
http://www.mspca.org/site/PageServer?
pagename=3Dpoisoncontrolhotline_pagewrapperlanding
Poisons to avoid:
http://www.avonvets.co.uk/2ndyr_hands/Poisons.html
Poisonous plants with photos to help identify after an incident:
http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/poison/index.html
That last is a human resource and what poisons ferrets differs often=20
from what poisons humans, but it has great photos to help identify=20
plants and then the animal poison control lists can be used in=20
conjunction.
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
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