From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2003-07-02 17:05:12 UTC
Subject: RE: Non-Adrenal Hair Loss > VETS??
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <1357125.1057165512647.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Has he had long-term steroids used because of the stiffness? Although they usually don't cause fur loss in ferrets they can do so. I now the tail fur loss preceded the stiffness but tail fur loss can be it's own sin problems.
We have had one (so this has got to be rare) who lost fur with age-related cause suspected afterward. She couldn't have surgery due to having a terminal heart condition but on necropsy with patholiogy her adrenals were normal.
Has a skin scraping been tried?
Sometimes ferrets who have already had adrenal disease widn up with damaged follicales and never grow a full coat back or blow coats easily afterward. Ashling is like that.
The only terribly stiff ferret we ever had had acrondroplastic dwarfism -- very short legs and normal trunk size and that caused her to have arthritis but your vet would spot those, I'd think -- though I have to say that Ruffle's first vet did not spot her dwarfism.
Our Sherman also has fur loss of unknown cause though it may be from his meds for his IBD and he is showing signs of arthritis on his feet -- very knotty fingers and toes though they don't stop him from dashing around happily -- despite being only 3 years old. He was a rescue who was found with gangrene and with so many ticks that they stopped counting at 30 (and we've all always wondered if the ticks may have impacted on his health long-term since they carry so many things). He has IBD and it is becoming harder to control. A Lupron shot made no difference. When Chiclet is stabilized well enough Sherman will be openned up to gat a first-hand look at his adrenals and to get GI samples for pathology.