From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2006-12-08 15:49:31 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Hair loss on tail
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "Robert Gailor" <buckyii@...> wrote:
>
> I can only tell what has happened in the past to Bucky, my 'Blond Bomber'.
When he was one year, he developed an infection in his prostrate, preventing
the flow of urination. It was an emergency situation however through proper
antibiotics, he recovered. At four, he started loosing his hair from the top of
his head and the back. It turned out to be adrenaline tumors. Six months
ago they were surgically removed, but I'm stil waiting for his hair to come
back. But the Vet's office ssaid it would return in due season... when is
due season????
>
>
That depends on the ferret, and it might not come back.
We had one who had very rapid onset of adrenal symptoms; She lost all
the fur off her sacrum in one week, and most of the surrounding area in
the second week.
Usually our vet who was here then waited a little bit when the symptoms
were brand new, but I still had a good nose back then (something I miss)
and I could smell malignancy, so he went in. Both adrenals were
involved: neither tumor big, both encapsulated and easily totally removed
cleanly, one with carcinoma. (She got about 5 and 1/2 years after that on
Fludrocort and Prednisolone.)
What she did NOT get -- for something like three years -- was her fur
back on most of the lower half of her back.
We just assumed the follicles died. Sometimes that does happen.
Then, years later she began sprouting fur! Talk about itchy! Her skin was
not at all used to it by then, but danged if she didn't grow in a very good
coat one season.
Why that season? We have no idea.
One thing you might try is melatonin. Melatonin does not just have an
effect on the prostrate; it also has a dermal effect which increases fur
growth, as per a study done in NZ (New Zealand) on ferret fur and sheep
wool. I thought it was in the archives, but can't find it so perhaps not.
Here you are:
BEGIN QUOTE
J Histochem Cytochem. 1996 Apr;44(4):377-87. Links
Transforming growth factor-alpha immunoreactivity during induced hair
follicle growth cycles in sheep and ferrets.
Nixon AJ,
Broad L,
Saywell DP,
Pearson AJ.
AgResearch, Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton, New Zealand.
Transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) has been associated with
cell proliferation of keratinocytes and implicated in hair growth. We
therefore examined changes in the immunocytochemical localization of
TGF-alpha and cell proliferation markers in the skin of two unrelated
species in which hair cycles could be induced, to elucidate the role of this
growth factor in the control of fiber growth. Skin was collected from
melatonin-treated ferrets (Mustela putorius furo), untreated Romney
sheep (Ovis aries), and New Zealand Wiltshire sheep in which interruption
of wool growth had been photoperiodically induced. Immunostaining
patterns were very similar in ferrets and sheep. TGF-alpha
immunoreactivity was observed in epithelial tissues of the skin but was
not co-localized with cell proliferation markers. In anagen follicles, specific
staining was most intense in the innermost cells of the outer root sheath
and cortical cells in the keratogenous zone but was absent from inner root
sheath or dermal papilla. TGF-alpha immunostaining diminished during
catagen, although faint staining was retained in all epithelial cells. In
telogen and early proanagen follicles, staining remained faint or was
restricted to cells on the margin of the brush end and follicle neck.
Immunoreactivity in the outer root sheath was reestablished in late
proanagen. Sebaceous glands and epidermis were stained intensely
throughout the hair cycle. TGF-alpha-immunoreactive components of skin
extracts, analyzed by Western blotting, showed mobility corresponding to
approximately 32 KD, but not to the size of the fully cleaved peptide. These
results are consistent with an epithelial autocrine or juxtacrine, but not a
mitogenic, function of TGF-alpha.
PMID: 8601697 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
END QUOTE
BTW, thanks for the moisturizing tip. We do, but it does catch up w us,
especially during dry winters.
It may be that I am more aware of events during the winters, BTW, since we
do have them here...
Like I said, the fur loss timing and location thing is an impression that I
haven't checked. It might be an interesting little thing for someone to
put together some time: location, season, heat or A/C on a lot then if
indoors, humidity at onset, was ferret acclimated to that humidity (in areas
which are pretty consistent), did an adrenal growth occur later and if so then
how much later.
We've seen both situations, and for a long time ( a great many years -- well
over a decade but I am not sure by how much) all of ours had necropsies
and most also pathology so hidden adrenal growths would have been found
because our vet also taught other vets in the hospital about ferrets that way,
and we also figured that at times what was found could add to the
knowledge base in ferret pathology, so helped others.
Sukie (not a vet)
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