From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2008-09-28 17:15:52 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: peppermint oil harmful to ferrets?
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Yes, we have encountered that, too, with one exception in markings.
I mentioned the exception on Ferret-Genetics years ago and others also found it. For
some reason the ones who have cleanly margined, complete replacement of the dark bib
and socks with white (rather than the ones who have the patchier neural crest variant
markings that might indicate the presence of KIT genetics) can have a tendency to find
peppermints extremely attractive and they will eat them if they get a chance, so those
ferrets might be at risk of trying to lick the essential oil. It intrigued a genetics prof who
was on the list at the time since it may be an unusual genetic association, and if my
memory serves he tried it and also found the same thing as did some other list members.
(Note: there is a chance that a different neural crest genetic change might be responsible
for the cleanly margined and complete replacements and some -- including us -- have
noticed what seems to be an increased tendency toward cardiomyopathy in those ferrets
(but usually late life with these not seeming to be short lived as some with other life-long
markings which point to neural crest genetic variations) and cardiomyopathy is something
that has higher rates in multiple species with some neural crest genetic variations with
alternation of the cardiac portion of the sympathetic nervous system suggested as a
possible cause quite some time ago although alteration of the earlier fetal cardiac neural
crest is also possible. Also, neural crest genetic variations have Variable Expression so
can be present but silent as far as marking are concerned.)
Sorry about wandering off topic (unless the poster has ferrets with those markings).
I guess the upshot is that if it is used to use it where the ferret can not get at the oil itself.
(The strongest cautions I have read have been for a different member of Carnivora, cats,
who have a horrid poisoning from it as per the materials in the ASPCA Animal Poison
Control Center referred to earlier in the conversation.)
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "Clover Williams" <rezgrrl@...> wrote:
>
> Ferrets tend to avoid the scent of peppermint. I've read this
> somewhere, and this was one of the caution scents that I used
> successfully for scent mapping with Cookie. So I'd say that ingestion
> probably wouldn't usually be a problem. But you know how individual
> they are. And of course pure, undiluted volitile oils of any kind are
> quite harsh if placed directly on most skin.
>
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