From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2011-06-28 15:58:59 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] bones and teeth
To: fhl <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
Differences in mineral components:
Okay, many people do not realize it but the minor mineral components and proportion of minerals of bones and teeth can vary depending on factors like genetics (think of things like those with genetically thin enamel or those with osteogenesis imperfecta), the water used, and the diet. That is very useful for understanding a great deal. In fact, in criminal forensics and physical anthropology this reality is even on occasion used to get an idea of where people were raised since some locations have certain mineral signatures to their water. Of course, these days with bottled water... That info has also been used in studies to better understand some animals.
On the dynamic nature of bones and teeth:
Teeth remodel a bit even in ways that are not the mechanical ones such as wear and mesial drift (drifting toward the midpoint or in some creatures toward a diastema, i.e.space between the teeth).
Bone is more dynamic with constant remodeling or large portions of it which just makes sense when you think of where it is located and its structure and nutrient source. The body uses calcium constantly, and bone is the largest storehouse for that no matter what the species is. So, there is always calcium circulating in bodies nad always bone remodeling. The tricks are to put down enough calcium from infancy through middle age for most species, and then to try to get a reasonable balance. Then the bones don't loss too much calcium too fast in older ages, and other problems don't happen. Some major factors which can influence that are: age and the related hormonal profiles, genetics, exercise (especially weight bearing exercise) which is very important to have, amounts of vitamin D and calcium, dietary protein levels, and neurological impairment since lack of sensory feedback can result in reabsorbed hard tissue.
If there is extra calcium circulating then the best place for it to settle is in the hard tissues like bones, but if there is way too much then it can deposit in organs like the heart and kidneys, as happens with hypercalcemia in ferrets and dogs who get too much Vitamin D (Humans have a need for a good bit of Vitamin D and that increases with age, but ferrets and dogs have a different ancestry as per recent posts so see those if needed.).
When there is an increased need for calcium, as happens with things like a high protein diet due to a chemical kidney need in that situation, and with demands like pregnancy then if the diet does not provide enough calcium, the calcium can be leeched from teeth and bones, and teeth may even be lost as a result. Why the pregnancy need happens is obvious. High protein needs may be less so, so here is why: The saying is "As goes phosphorus so goes calcium", so the more protein that is eaten the more calcium is lost in the urine with the phosphorus that high protein diet provided. In kidney disease the balancing of phosphorus and calcium can sometimes become a consideration, too, because having those mineral electrolytes in balance is essential for general cell health, and you don't want too much calcium to be lost.
You can see why feeding too many baby mice or chicks as part of the diet, or feeding meat without a calcium source (and without sources of other nutrients which are found in the components of things like "chicken meal" i.e. organs, skin, etc) poses nutritional hazards for ferrets, resulting in bone loss and other difficulties. Chicks and baby mice have small bones and they are still largely not yet calcified, so the ferrets can wind up with their own bones that simply lack enough calcium.
Because the triggering hormonal releases that cause ferret adrenal disease to form tend to have causes that also result in extra FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) being released, bone loss can also be seen in conjunction with adrenal disease in ferrets.
Learning about nutrition: For humans it is usually a matter of a physician or hospital recommending an RD, or of finding one through one's county or through the local hospital's staff of RDs. RD means "Registered Dietician" and these are the people who have really, really studied nutrition in depth. In some locations they have Bachelors' Degrees in it (4 years of college) but usually they have more, typically a Master's Degree or even a Doctorate, so a great many years of study. Finding people with Veterinary Nutrition degrees is harder. The better pet food companies have at least one on staff or use one or more to develop foods, and there is at least one contract Veterinary Nutritionist who has doctorates in both veterinary medicine and animal nutrition:
http://www.petdiets.com/
The doctorates mentioned here are not the honorary practice in some nations of saying "Doctor" for one who provides medical care no matter what the degree is (and in that case I really think they should call registered nurses "Doctor", too, even the ones without doctoral degrees in nursing -- and I am smiling but not winking). Masters Degrees, depending on the program, are usually 1 or 2 additional years of study beyond the first 4 college years though they can be longer for those who go to school part time, and doctorates -- again depending on the discipline are usually another 4 to 6 years, so many years of concentrated study.
Given the request for new topics, how does that work for a new topic, while continuing and explaining one of the offshoots of the distemper conversation? I don't think these aspects has been covered in depth here before in one conversation, though I could be wrong.
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
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
On change for its own sake: "You can go really fast if you just jump off the cliff."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
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