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poor little noodle
Oct. 7th, 2005 01:06 pmBecause Seti just hasn't had enough health problems lately, last night I discovered that his bottom was red and swollen, very baboon-butt looking. To make a long and somewhat distasteful story short, it's probably related to ongoing intestinal issues he's had. We have to annoint him with preparation-H 2-3 times a day--let me tell you, trying to put ointment on an uncooperative ferret's butt is not a task for the weak. The things we do for love... anyway, hopefully this won't become a recurring problem, though it may well, in which case he'll go on pediapred to deal with his presumably inflamed intestinal tract.
I've always thought that people really tend to go overboard on the Marshall Farms bashing, turning it into a bit of a witch hunt. I've accepted that of course you are going to see more Marshall ferrets with health problems, because there are simply far more Marshall ferrets than any others out there, plus uneducated ferrets owners who don't know enough to prevent the preventable problems are more likely to have Marshall ferrets since they would have bought them at a pet store. But you know, my Canadian ferrets were robust and hearty until they reached late middle age (5.5 - 6), whereupon they slowly began to develop geriatric diseases as they slowly became, indeed, geriatric. The only medical needs they had in the prime of their lives were regular checkups and a couple of emergency visits for physical injuries. So far, of my three Marshall ferrets, Pan had ulcers from kithood, a major vaccine reaction, a bony tumor in his tail, and that horrifically fast moving lymphoma that took his life before he turned three. Seti has shown mild to now perhaps moderate signs of irritable bowel syndrome through most of his adult life, and he's developing adrenal disease at an age which is within the normal age range for adrenal, but on the young end of that range. We haven't seen any major health problems with Ronan to date, but clearly there's something up with that ferret's metabolism because despite an active lifestyle, he's just not losing all that extra weight. I don't think his back legs work entirely properly either, although that's probably due to either extensive cage time when young or the extra weight he's carrying now. It's really hard to look at this without thinking that they just aren't predisposed to good health. Maybe I've just been unlucky. Or maybe I'm a perceptive ferret owner who picks up on things that other owners might not, and more ferrets are unhealthy than one might think. I just don't know.
Seti and Ronan will live the longest and bestest lives I can give them, that goes without saying. But I'm thinking of making a road trip to Canada the next time I'm ready for more ferrets...
I've always thought that people really tend to go overboard on the Marshall Farms bashing, turning it into a bit of a witch hunt. I've accepted that of course you are going to see more Marshall ferrets with health problems, because there are simply far more Marshall ferrets than any others out there, plus uneducated ferrets owners who don't know enough to prevent the preventable problems are more likely to have Marshall ferrets since they would have bought them at a pet store. But you know, my Canadian ferrets were robust and hearty until they reached late middle age (5.5 - 6), whereupon they slowly began to develop geriatric diseases as they slowly became, indeed, geriatric. The only medical needs they had in the prime of their lives were regular checkups and a couple of emergency visits for physical injuries. So far, of my three Marshall ferrets, Pan had ulcers from kithood, a major vaccine reaction, a bony tumor in his tail, and that horrifically fast moving lymphoma that took his life before he turned three. Seti has shown mild to now perhaps moderate signs of irritable bowel syndrome through most of his adult life, and he's developing adrenal disease at an age which is within the normal age range for adrenal, but on the young end of that range. We haven't seen any major health problems with Ronan to date, but clearly there's something up with that ferret's metabolism because despite an active lifestyle, he's just not losing all that extra weight. I don't think his back legs work entirely properly either, although that's probably due to either extensive cage time when young or the extra weight he's carrying now. It's really hard to look at this without thinking that they just aren't predisposed to good health. Maybe I've just been unlucky. Or maybe I'm a perceptive ferret owner who picks up on things that other owners might not, and more ferrets are unhealthy than one might think. I just don't know.
Seti and Ronan will live the longest and bestest lives I can give them, that goes without saying. But I'm thinking of making a road trip to Canada the next time I'm ready for more ferrets...
