Message Number: SG5936 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Caitlyn Martin
Date: 2003-09-02 20:47:03 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] heavy adrenal fert
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-Id: <20030902164703.55350083.whiteweasel@earthlink.net>

On Tue, 2 Sep 2003 20:46:41 +0100 (BST)
queenbee@gain.com wrote:

> I am boarding a 7 year old male ferret who is adrenal, hardly any fur
> let, but he eats too well and has gotten quite large in the abdominal
> area. Think big pear shape. My question is, why does this happen, and
> if he has successful surgery, will this fat go down after a while?

[delurk]

I really doubt the extra weight is due to adrenal disease. Probably
something else is going on here. Ferrets often lose weight due to
adrenal.

I really suggest you get him to a vet who is experienced with ferrets in
general and adrenal disease in particular. Get blood work done and
whatever other diagnostic work the vet recommends to find out what else
(if anything) is going on and if he is strong enough to make it through
surgery OK.

Our Podo had right adrenal surgery at somewhere around age seven and a
half. We think (we don't know exactly) he's about nine now and he's
doing amazingly well still. OTOH, seven is fairly old for a ferret and
I would really want to be sure that nothing else is going on that would
put him at additional risk before considering surgery.

Good luck!

All the best,
Caity and the non-stop nine