From:
"Jeff"
Date: 2009-02-11 02:30:49 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: REALITY check - health of the breed
To: <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
Prior to adopting Neo from a friend about 5 years ago, I went through a period of about 10 years without owning ferrets. Back in the late 80's and early 90's I owned three, one of whom I literally found running around in a field near my apartment. Two were silver mitts and one was a sable, all neutered females. All three had an annual vet exam and distemper and rabies shot. All 3 ate essentially nothing but Iam's kitten food (kibble). None of them ever had to visit the vet for any kind of illness until lymphoma got them, and they were all approximately age 8 when that happened. Having had that 10 year hiatus between them and Neo, who we lost at age 4 to what I believe was pancreatic carcinoma, I have also observed that the breed now seems to be so much more fragile and susceptible to illness. It's almost scary how 'hearty' my three girls were back then, and how genetically prone our ferrets seem to be now.
Jeff
In Memory of Neo
Caring for Trinny, Morphy, Baby Girl, Luna, and Dozer
----- Original Message -----
From: Sukie Crandall
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 9:17 PM
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: REALITY check
It does tend to be true that the more vulnerable
wind up with more problems in any species.
Back ages ago when we first got ferrets there were
almost no fancies and the ferrets were so dramatically
healthier in general and often longer lived. That isn't
just Steve and my observations. We've heard it from a
number of vets who treated ferrets then and do now.
(Of course, some types of fancies are from types of
genetic differences that are linked to a number of
health problems in multiple species.)
.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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