From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2009-09-08 19:21:15 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Odd eye colors
To: fhl <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
There are multiple routes to reducing pigment levels, everything from
ocular albinism, to neural crest genetics, to genetic variations that
affect mitochondria, and more.
So, it would help if people who respond also say if the eyes were
always light (if they know), pigmentation (as kit and currently since
ferrets who roan can get lighter), behavioral quirks (which can happen
due to handicaps sometimes when the handicap is not recognized and can
happen with mitochondrial alterations), etc.
I don't that mitochondrial variations have come up as a topic before
so I will just say a little bit:
The mitochondria are essential energy producers. Altering them for the
worse can result in heart and muscle illness due to the muscle tissue's
fibers themselves being malformed (ragged red muscle fiber syndrome).
There can be a hugely increased tendency to die during anesthesia.
Behavior can be very messed up. There can be difficulty exercising and
laying down muscle decently. Eyes can be lighter, often a brownish
green
during at least part of the process but can get lighter, from
depletion of
brown pigment which was already there. I don't know if a mitochondrial
alteration can lead to skeletal problems in mammals but given their
function
I suspect it is entirely possible. Okay, it can:
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S088789940500723X
but I don't have time to check further.
Mitochondria are ONLY inherited from the mammal mothers; the fathers
can not pass along bad mitochondria.
Now, mitochondrial variations currently appear to pretty rare going from
human genetics but they are also not usually known about by physicians
so also are likely to be under-reported. One reason to expect these to
be rare is because they do tend to often have so many physical health
and emotional health problems associated, and because only one parent
can pass them along rather than both doing so.
I do NOT know if any labs are currently looking for mitochondrial
variations
in pets; it's hard enough to find any hospital lab that can do it for
humans.
Again, there are MANY routes to eye pigment reduction and some of them
are safe but some are not. If these ferrets have other signs that can
point
to genetic problems such as neural crest variation markings, handicaps,
strange behaviors, moodiness, unusual size, unusual proportions,
difficulty
moving around, etc., then they must NOT be bred and people have to be
extra careful about their health monitoring.
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/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
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