From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2008-01-04 21:26:44 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Clarification of rate
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
That is of all of the ferrets over the 26 years. All but 2
(Juvenile Lymphoma, Myofasciitis) reached ages over
6 if I recall right (though one or two with lymphoma one
may have actually been 5).
We have had about 1/3 of our ferrets get adrenal disease.
Only one of our ferret died of adrenal disease and that was
because it was lymphoma there.
We have had about 20% get any pancreatic disease (lumping
one with lymphoma in the pancreas and one with carcinoma
in the pancreas in w the ones who had insulinoma).
Most of our ferrets live into their late 7th to mid 8th years.
The most common cause of death here by a wide margin has
been lymphoma (including two bouts of clumping lymphoma
(so there was possibly exposure to a silent virus 2 or 3 years
before) , followed by either pancreatic disease or cardiac disease
(usually dilated cardiomyopathy, but have also encountered A/V
node block, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy).
We have had three ferrets with kidney problems: one (fatal) who
became too dehydrated despite daily sub-cu during ECE, and two
(alive) who are managed for cystine stones (of those two one also
had a bladder diverticulum and bilateral hydronephrosis so he may
have kidney damage).
One would have died of liver cysts but had surgery so her other
terminal problems took her first. (She had several simultaneous --
this was one with many deformations and handicaps.).
We have lost two to GI problems: one with a deformation that
resulted in very friable tissue, and one with pronounced IBD.
The biggest differences we have compared to other households
are loads of exercise and constant available access to total darkness.
We feed ferret kibble, never give raisins, but sometimes give too
many treats. Almost all of ours have been pet store type ferrets
originally.
For many years our ferrets were used by our primary vet as a way
to teach other vets and techs about ferrets after they died even
when we knew what was happening so the vast majority had
necropsies and pathology, meaning that even hidden adrenal disease
or pancreatic disease were likely to have been found.
Households seem to vary a LOT. I have known people who had
about 100% of their ferrets get adrenal disease and have a lot of
early cases and other with none or almost none. There are things
that appear to be affected by husbandry.
For a shelter like yours I'd expect that many arrived already
compromised by poor care. I think that shelters pay many costs
related to how the ferrets lived before.
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, Vicki Montgomery <ferretfrenzy@...> wrote:
>
> Are you saying that less then 70%, by almost half, of your ferrets DO NOT get adrenal
disease? My experience in over a decade is that over 90% (Almost all) of our ferrets DO
get adrenal disease.
>
> How many others on this group have experienced less than half of their ferrets getting
adrenal. This I assume are ferrets that live to at least 6 year of age.
>
> I have had 2 - 18 month ferrets need surgery, both obtained as surrenders - one a pet
store purchase returned to the store and another from animal control - surrendered to
them. If memory servers me Dr Murray has operated on one as young as 8 months for
adrenal disease and heard of 1 as young as 4 months needing the surgery...
>
> But for adults... except for one dying of another cause and dying before they are at
least 3 years old - mine get adrenal... that's why I have them stuffed in very dark places
now.. I'm hopeing to see a reduction in %s, but not holding my breath.
>
> Vicki
>
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