From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2008-06-27 14:27:20 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: New ferret question
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Okay, we have had ferrets for something like 26 or 27 years now.
Here are some of the things relevant to your questions:
1. There are actually MORE places selling ferrets into the pet industry now,
though one (Rainbow World) stopped doing so recently, and another (McKay)
extremely downsized with the granddaughter(s?) starting off with something
estimated to be between 100 to 400 in a different location.
Here is a recent industry list which includes some of the places ( I do
not know what percentage of the actual total number providing
ferrets and ferret supplies to the pet industry these days. There are
48 listings on 4 pages of places:
http://www.petagesourcebook.com/33806_2/Companion_Animals/Small_Animals_Exotics
/Ferrets.aspx
Current scuttlebutt has it that a major chain is switching to a distributor
which uses unnamed smaller ferret farms but which unfortunately mentions
selling younger (6 week old ones) to pet stores right on its website. Increasing
the age at sale to no younger than 8 weeks has been a goal of several groups
such as the IFC
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
and
AFA
http://www.ferret.org/
and I expect we'll be hearing about whatever next step is needed to get
such promising regulation change finalized.
There also are smaller, private breeders, of course.
2. 20 years ago there were almost none of the fancies which exist today.
Since then there has been a monumental -- truly shocking -- increase in
the genetic representation of fancies in the U.S., especially of those with Neural
Crest Genetic variations which can have sympathetic nerve supply problems
for an assortment of structures, jaw malformations, increased rates of
cardiomyopathy, increased rates of syndactyly and polydactyly and other
health problems in multiple species (furthermore some domestication work
in other species indicate that those markings may be related to some changes
in adrenal epinephrine responses), but there are or have been also lines with
skull malformations and poor sinus access to nostrils (angora) at high rates,
cataracts, possible increases in spinal cord problems associated with bred-
for shortened tails, biting problems in those whose faces are too short
resulting in painful dental eruptions, some lines with what appears to be
achrondoplastic dwarfism (complete with joint pain), aortic malformations
when there were strong non-bilateral coloration head blotches, and more.
Some of the health problems that ferrets have commonly these days in the
U.S. -- for example, endocrinological problems like adrenal disease and
insulinoma -- appear to have genetic vulnerabilities partly involved. A team
headed by Dr. Michelle Hawkins of UC Davis (for which Mr. Church is now
collecting some genetic specimens from other places in the world for
comparative study) and another genetic search by a team headed by Dr. Bob
Wagner of Pitt U have each found possible strong genetic components in U.S.
ferrets, and other possible ones may still exist.
So, yes, current U.S. ferrets may be more vulnerable than they once were.
3. Yes, early neutering is thought to be a contributor to the onset of adrenal
disease, as is too much light exposure, both working through an increase
in Luteinizing Hormone. Look up LH in the EXCELLENT and very easily used
separate FHL Archives:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
4. Yes, there are hypotheses about other husbandry practices which are
currently under study, or which people would like to study if they could
just get the funding. One of these involves carbohydrates as a possible
contributing factor to insulinoma.
5. THERE IS AN OPPOSITE FACTOR NOW, TOO! Twenty years ago the FML was
young, most people weren't on-line to discuss health, information on ferret
medical problems was scant so rarely discussed. If my memory serves me the
first ferret veterinary text book was the first edition of _Biology and Diseases of
the Ferret_ in 1989 and it was skinny! Since then so very, very much has been
LEARNED, and as more is learned more is discussed, BUT most vets still don't
know ferrets so many people ask and answer about ferret health on-line in
many fora so that the rate of information distribution is speeded up, and that
*sometimes* works marvelously well! So, part of what you are encountering is
a healthy way of sharing info.
6. This is SPECIFICALLY a FERRET HEALTH site and the FHL has over 1,050
members, a number of whom run shelters with many, many animals, so a
large number of animals in need are helped here and have been helped here
(and at our two previous URLs) for about 7 and 1/4 years. For more general
topics places like the Ferret Mailing List (FML) delve more widely.
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "alberta" <g72@...> wrote:
>
> Hi, we are getting 2 new ferrets today and I have a few questions.
> First I had ferrets as a teenager over 20 some years ago when they
> first started to be popular. I have lots of animal experience and
> worked as a veterinary technician for over 10 years before I was married.
> Anyway I have been doing some research on their care since it has been
> so long since I had one. One thing I noticed is that they seem to have
> lots of health problems. I had ferrets for years when I was young and
> they didn't have any of these health problems. they were never sick.
> This was before they were spayed and neutered before you bought them.
> the only thing I needed to worry about was to make sure my female was
> bred so she didn't die from being in constant heat. None of them were
> ever sick. I did know quite a few people at the time that had them and
> they didn't have any health problems either.
> It kinda scares me with all the health problems I am reading about. Is
> it just a small percentage that are getting sick and that is what I am
> reading about or is it alot more then that.
> Does this have to do with the early spaying and neutering or the gene
> pool since it seems that all the ferrets now come from one place,
> Marshalls farms?
> Also as far as food the people we are getting them from feed the
> marshals ferret food. Is this the best or are there other choices that
> are better. I have also read about a few people that are feeding RAW.
> Now that would be easy for me because I have fed it to my dogs with
> great results.
> Any help would be greatly appricated.
> thanks Alberta
>
> [Moderator's Note: IMPORTANT:
>
> If we get into another "I feed such and such" discussion right now it is so
> soon since the most recent ones that we are pretty sure to have some
> list members upset. So, unless someone has new journal references
> that are not in the archives how about if those who want to suggest foods
> contact the poster DIRECTLY by cutting and pasting her email or using
> the scroll for the "to" line at the website.
>
> There is LOADS about many, many aspects of feeding, even some factual
> stuff rather than preferences in FHL Archives:
>
> http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
>
> and they are very easy to use.]
>
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