From:
Ferretworld
Date: 2001-06-22 05:41:00 UTC
Subject: [Ferret-Health-list] Albino/itchy skin
Dear Yvon, I have an albino who has a yellow tail and
scratches a lot. He is 4 years old and the only health
problem I had with him was blocked salivary glands. The
scratching normally occurs when he wakes up, after he has
eaten ( and sometimes he coughs) or if he goes into his litter
tray or sleeping bag. I put it down to dust in his food,litter
tray,sleeps sack and, basically, household dust. He doesn't
scratch to the point of damaging his skin so I think it is
just a brief irritation. His skin oils seem fine, and he is
snow white with a yellowish tail. If your albinos skin and
coat is dry, coarse and brittle, I would expect a problem but,
if not, and she looks OK in herself, I don,t think there is
too much to worry about. I sometimes think we give our fuzzies
too many supplements, medicines and preparations and each, in
large quantities, can cause severe problems to our ferrets.
Z-megamore, or Skin-Rite as it is called in the UK, is as good
as most skin and coat conditioners. I too wonder if the dosage
on your bottle is wrong. On our bottles it states" up to 5kg
(11lbs) max 5ml", which sounds about right. 10 ml is too much,
that is the dosage for dogs on the Skin Rite bottles we sell.
Hope this helps, but, as ever when you are worried about your
pets, seek proffessional advice.
All the best from Simon at Ferretworld.co.uk
----- Original Message -----
From: yvon358@cs.com
To: Ferret-Health-list@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2001 9:13 PM
Hello everyone,
I have a question about my albino. She's apx 4 yrs old. I
adopted her about
a year ago so I'm not sure of her exact age. She's had both
left and right
adrenal glands removed. In the year that I've had her I've
probably only
given her 2-3 baths.
She has very itchy skin and scratches/licks/etc a lot. More
so than my other
ferrets. I initially attributed this to her "normal"
behavior. Now I'm
wondering... I just finished reading an article about
albinos which stated
their yellow tint is a result of the oils their glands
produce. I always
thought the yellowing was a vitamin deficiency. (In fact,
she once had a
blockage and I did notice her fur turning yellow around her
face.. poor
thing.. she looked terrible.) She is pure white... no
yellow except on her
tail. Could she not be producing enough oils? If not, what
can I do? She
has been this way since I got her.
I recently purchased a bottle of "Z-Megamore Plus". The
bottle states there
are no artificial ingredients or additives. The analysis is
as follows:
Zinc (ZN) total 3000 mg
As Zinc Methionine Chelate 1000 mg
Vitamin E 2500 mg
Vitamin B5 500 mg
Biotin 12.5 mg
Blended w/sunflower, canola and fish oil. Has anyone heard
of this stuff and
will it help/hurt the weasels? The dosage says 10ml/day per
ferret but that
sounds like a bit much. I've just been pouring 1/2 teas. in
a bowl of water
and letting them drink it whenever they want. In fact, I
don't think they
get anywhere near the dosage on the bottle.
Anyway, if anyone has suggestions for my albino, I'd be
grateful. She's
going to the vet tomorrow so I'll ask him as well.
Thanks,
-Y-
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