From:
"Ferret Daddy"
Date: 2002-12-03 06:22:54 UTC
Subject: Hair-loss patterns? And Adrenal (or other) questions
To: <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Message-ID: <010001c29a94$6a583c40$8f2ffea9@earthlink.net>
Hello All,
New poster to this list. Our newest boy, Teddie, is losing his hair. It's
not the classic pattern starting at the base of the tail and growing from
there, but I've been seeing other posting on here about other patterns that
indicate Adrenal. Teddie is losing his hair on his upper back, about a
third of the way back from the neck to the tail (measuring FROM the neck).
He also has a bare spot on his chest, directly between his front legs.
Initially, I thought it was due to the stress of coming to a new home, and
the fact that he would reach up from the floor of his cage to his food dish,
resting his chest on the edge of the shelf, rather than climbing up on the
shelf itself. But after doing more reading, and examining him more closely,
I fear it is Adrenal, after all. His skin does seem to be thinner where
he's losing his hair, he doesn't seem to have much energy, and kind of
wobbles when he walks.
My question is (and I know it has been asked by others, but hope lives
forever, unlike the fuzz-butts), are there ANY other things that these
symptoms fit? I've heard mites mentioned as a cause of hairloss, as well as
reaction to fleas. We know he doesn't have fleas, and mites would seem to
be a non-issue, as well, since none of the other kids are showing any
similar symptoms.
If it is Adrenal, what is the time-frame from initial signs of hairloss to
other, confirming, signs? And also, are there any confirming tests other
than the Tennessee Panel?
Sorry if these questions have been gone over and over before, but I wasn't
able to find answers, especially on the time-line issue.
Ferret Daddy & the (worried) FBR Gang