From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2008-11-11 23:51:47 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Different Food Question
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
It's important to not confuse the types of
cardiovascular diseases that are common
in humans with those that are common in
ferrets. In humans, a high fat diet leads to
the body itself producing a decent bit of
the types of cholesterol. Now, they can
serve a variety of functions, and not all, like
repairing neural sheaths, are bad. Still, in
us, too much can lead to the variety of
diseases found from vascular plaque.
Ferrets are different. They are not prone
to vascular plaque.
Don't take my word for it. There is EXPERT
info on this. For example:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG11338
BEGIN QUOTE
Regarding the theory of stroke - this is really not a problem in
ferrets - stroke is most often seen in species with chronic
cardiovascular disease such as atherosclerosis, such as humans and
certain inbred species of animals, but not ferrets.
END QUOTE
Remember that strokes or one type (NOT THROMBOSES which are
often mistakenly called "strokes") are a pretty good indicator of
which
species need lower fat diets for vascular reasons
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG3833
BEGIN QUOTE
To my knowledge, strokes have never been diagnosed in ferrets - nor
have I ever seen evidence of intracranial hemorrhages in ferrets.
END QUOTE
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG2176
BEGIN QUOTE
Interesting - ferrets do not have strokes - strokes are a peculiarly
human disease which is associated with atherosclerosis - a disease
yet to be diagnosed in ferrets. I have not doubt that he is blind -
blindness is not uncommon in ferrets, but I suspect that a good
retinal examination may suggest a degenerative process. In many
cases, diminished sight is not noticed until another problem is
identified, and the two are linked.
END QUOTE
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG2131
BEGIN QUOTE
Unfortunately, this is an amalgam of symptoms which do not have a
clear thread. I think that we need to see the result of any
bloodwork to see if anything points to one system or another. Head
tilts occasionally suggest neurologic conditions, but they are
usually consistent. Ferrets do not develop strokes - this is a
common fallacy.
END QUOTE
DR. WILLIAMS who is quoted above is one of the world's best
ferret veterinary pathology experts, perhaps THE top one.
So, the things that are implicated in some types of human
cardiovascular disease can not be assumed to be implicated
in very different forms of cardiovascular disease.
One hypothesis about cardiomyopathy in general is that there
is damage to the sympathetic nervous system involved in the
onset of some cases, and I recall a recent potentially interesting
study occurred but offhand do not recall details.
Sadly, when discovered in ferrets the damage tends to already
be too prevalent so meds help but prevention tends to not be
an option.
Some recent data:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18998207
BEGIN QUOTE
Heart Fail Rev. 2008 Nov 8. [Epub ahead of print]
PPAR transcriptional activator complex polymorphisms and the promise
of individualized therapy for heart failure.
Mistry NF, Cresci S.
Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, 660
South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8086, Saint Louis, MO, 63110-1093, USA.
The PPAR gene pathway consists of interrelated genes that encode
transcription factors, enzymes, and downstream targets which
coordinately act to regulate cellular processes central to glucose and
lipid metabolism. The pathway includes the PPAR genes themselves,
other class II nuclear hormone receptor transcription factors within
the PPAR family, PPAR co-activators, PPAR co-repressors, and
downstream metabolic gene targets. This review focuses on the
transcription factors that comprise the PPAR transcriptional activator
complex-the PPARs (PPARalpha, PPARbeta, or PPARgamma), PPAR
heterodimeric partners, such as RXRalpha, and PPAR co-activators, such
as PPARgamma coactivator 1alpha (PGC-1alpha) and the estrogen-related
receptors (ERRalpha, ERRbeta, and ERRgamma). These transcription
factors have been implicated in the development of myocardial
hypertrophy and dilated cardiomyopathy as well as response to
myocardial ischemia/infarction and, by association, ischemic
cardiomyopathy. Human expression studies and animal data are presented
as the background for a discussion of the emerging field of
pharmacogenetics as it applies to these genes and the consequent
implications for the individualization of therapy for patients with
heart failure.
END QUOTE
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18997986
I lack time but look in
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez
because there is a lot, some of which is general, though
a great many are ferret specific.
Not ferret but possibly useful:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18929500
BEGIN QUOTE
J Feline Med Surg. 2008 Oct 15. [Epub ahead of print]
Pulsed-wave Doppler tissue imaging velocities in normal geriatric cats
and geriatric cats with primary or systemic diseases linked to
specific cardiomyopathies in humans, and the influence of age and
heart rate upon these velocities.
Simpson KE, Gunn-Moore DA, Shaw DJ, French AT, Dukes-McEwan J, Moran
CM, Corcoran BM.
Division of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Royal (Dick) School of
Veterinary Studies, Hospital for Small Animals, College of Medicine
and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush
Veterinary Centre, Roslin, Midlothian, Scotland EH25 9RG, UK.
Pulsed-wave Doppler tissue imaging (pw-DTI) techniques allow the non-
invasive assessment of myocardial dynamics. pw-DTI has demonstrated
regional and global diastolic impairment in various forms of human and
feline cardiomyopathy. We hypothesise that in geriatric cats with
systemic diseases that have been linked to specific cardiomyopathies
in human beings, the myocardial velocity profile will be altered when
compared to either normal or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) cats;
and that both age and heart rate have a significant affect upon pw-DTI
velocities. The aims of this study were to determine whether the
feline M-mode or myocardial velocity profile is altered in geriatric
cats with disease states that have been linked to specific
cardiomyopathies in humans when compared to normal geriatric cats or
geriatric cats with HCM and to determine whether age or heart rate has
a significant effect upon pw-DTI velocities within these groups of
cats. Sixty-six cats aged 8 years or above were included in the study,
and were divided as follows: Unaffected (n=8), basilar septal bulge
(BSB) (17), HCM (14), hyperthyroid (HiT(4)) (12) and chronic renal
failure (CRF) (15). Systolic blood pressure was normal in all the
cats. pw-DTI systolic (S'), early (E') and late diastolic (A')
velocities were assessed from standardised sites within the
myocardium, and the relationships between these and disease group, age
and heart rate were then assessed. In cats with HCM, the E' velocity
was decreased at various sites. Conversely, the HiT(4) cats
demonstrated increased S' velocities. The only site at which the age
of the cat was significantly related to myocardial velocities was the
S' velocity from the apical mid-septum. There were also significant
positive relationships between heart rate and the magnitude of
myocardial S', E' and A' velocities of radial motion and S' and A'
velocities of longitudinal motion. pw-DTI detected diastolic
dysfunction in untreated cats with HCM and increased systolic function
in HiT(4) cats. The age of the cat was of little significance, whereas
heart rate significantly influenced myocardial velocity profiles.
PMID: 18929500
END QUOTE
GENETIC implication in dogs:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18855248
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18672969
GENETIC implication in cats:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18564408
Genetics again? A morphological difference to be further investigated,
involving cats with cardiomyopathy:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18672971
etc.
There is also a great deal about ferret diets by people
like Dr. Tom Willard who have doctorates in veterinary
nutrition. I noticed some posters seem to have been
quoting them on how ferrets have higher fat needs,
especially saturated fats than humans do.
Dr. Jerry Murray has some great posts on treating
cardiomyopathy in the FHL Archives from very
recent years. Real keepers!
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
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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