From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2001-03-31 21:48:00 UTC
Subject: Re: weight loss/shedding
>I have been reading the list for about a month but this is my first post.
>I have six wonderful ferrets ranging in age from 1 to 4 years old. My
>three year old Mulberry just had his left adrenal removed on Monday. He is
>doing good, eating and drinking on his own. He has some loose poops but
>other than that looks great. I have one ferret shedding his winter coat
>right now. Cisco is 1 1/2 years old and I noticed when he started shedding
>that he looked skinny and sunken in around the hips. At his last checkup
>about three weeks ago he weighed 2 lbs 10 oz which is normal. He wasn't
>shedding then though and didn't look skinny. How much weight loss is
>normal when they shed in the spring? Is it possible that he looked like
>this before but I couldn't tell because he had a full coat? Any answers
>would be helpful. Thanks! Jaki
Well, it really varies among individuals. I know... that really
doesn't help much. We have had some who were butterballs in Winters
and athletes in Summers, and so others who haven't changed much at
all among the seasons. If he seems like he is too thin, too bony,
losing energy, showing other signs of being "off" then it's better to
get to the vet, and be safe rather than sorry. Writing the weights
on a chart on the front of the fridge helps know what an individual's
own individual peculiarities over a few years are. At 1 and 1/2 and
"sunken" when that appearance has not been his norm, it might well be
time to just check for safety's sake.