From:
sukiecrandall@telocity.com
Date: 2002-08-02 20:04:25 UTC
Subject: RE: my ferret
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <8029555.1028318665669.JavaMail.root@scandium>
> Some ferrets do have seasonal hair loss on their backs. The way to tell
> if it is seasonal vs adrenal is by looking at the bottoms of their feet.
> If the feet still have hair, it is most likely to be seasonal.
Seasonal fur loss happens everywhere on the body but it is a matter usually of new fur coming in at the same time that the old is coming out, not baldness and certianly not protracted over time. The seasons are when light levels change greatly as in Spring and Fall.
Some ferrets have fur thinning on their feet (esp the tops of the feet from our experience) with adrenal growths, but not all do.
Symptoms of adrenal growths vary in their expression and degree of expression: a ferret may show no symptoms at all, may show one symptom -- and bilateral baldness in places other than the tail (which may or not indicate a problem) -- is a strong symptom of adrenal disease. Others can include: urinary blockage (which can be fatal), anemia (which can be fatal), coarse coat (which comes from losing the undercoat), oilier coat, stinkier smell than usual, behavior changes, fat deposition esp. on the abdomen, urinary tract infections, vulvar swelling, etc.
If there is any chance of adrenal growths then a ferret vet appointment is needed. It's the only way to be fair to the ferret.