From:
Trina
Date: 2001-10-15 13:11:00 UTC
Subject: Adrenal & Enlarged Spleen question
I have three ferrets, all of whom are going to the vet this
thursday. I have a couple of questions-
Doja (5yr old male) - he has a history of an enlarged spleen,
which his previous vet said is common, but we need to keep an
eye on him. He is gaining tons of weight, which could be due
to winter season coming, but his belly feels awfully hard. He
seems to be acting fine, eating and defacating normally. If
his spleen was causing a problem, what would be the signs?
Would it be obvious?
Molly (5yr old female) - Hairloss on her belly, noticed it
back in July. Previous vet said probably early signs of
adrenal, but we thought it might be stress because her brother
had just passed. However, it has been 3 months, the hairloss
has not gotten any worse, but it has not improved either. I
know it's more than likely adrenal, but, I've heard it's not
always good to do surgery too soon because they may not find
any signs of enlargement of the adrenals. Is this true?
Mixie (3yr old female) - Usually has the prettiest and softest
coat, suddenly seems to be losing fur. She has no bald spots,
but she no longer has the guard hairs along her backside -
only the real short cream colored hairs, real coarse feeling
and she looks mangy. Could this be due to winter shedding
season? She also seems to be losing weight, but I'm not sure
if it only looks that way due to the hairloss. Is this normal
for seasonal shedding? I don't recall this happening last
year. Any comments are welcome.
Thanks for any input you can provide and thank you to all who
contribute to this site. I know that I've learned alot, and
it's nice to know there is support out there when it's needed.
Thanks again,
Trina