Message Number: FHL1762 | New FHL Archives Search
From: "Kim"
Date: 2007-07-07 21:49:40 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Hi
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com

Hi Jenni,

The photos are terribly blurry, but your description raises concerns
and issues seen in other species (like horses) with the skin problems
described and how the nails are weakened.

Something I'd check on this ferret is its selenium in the diet - too
little or too much can have adverse reactions similar to what you
describe in the skin. Selenium and vitamin E need to work together.
Selenium is a mineral needed to combine with the mineral sulfur as
well as other amino acids for proper skin construction. Don't forget
that there are a tremendous lot of "skin" cells in your ferret -
externally AND internally.

Selenium imbalances can show up in brittle hairs, hair loss, flaking
irritated skin, dry brittle splitting nails, digestive upset, and
lethargy.

I've seen pemphigus in horses too and it is NOT a pretty site. In
Horses there is a genetic link showing between this problem and horss
with "high white" markings. Does you ferret exhibit a lot of white on
its feet?

The smell you notice may be related to a secondary bacterial
digestion of the damaged surface skin cells.

Selenium can be balanced with a proper diet and supplementation -
discuss with your vet because this needs to be properly balanced and
you need to figure if it is indeed a deficiency or an excess or an
imbalance of selenium and vitamin E.

Selenium deficiencies usually aren't seen in carnivores, but it
cannot be ruled out - especially ones eating a diet with a lot of
plant matter. Selenium toxicity is more common in animals that eat
plants grown in soils high in selenium.

Hope you can figure this out!
Regards, Kim


--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "jenni765uk" <jenni.goodwin@...>
wrote:
>
>
> > Blood red swollen scaly feet, sometimes blister split and bleed,
> > Same with one ear,
> > Claws are now yellow or black and brittle, always breaking off.
> > Now hair is getting very thin, and her skins scaly but not very
<snip>



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