Hello fellow ferret lovers,
 
I run a ferret-sitting service in Grand Junction, CO. and one of my clients
asked me a question I couldn't answer so I told her I would post it on the
FML and see if anyone had experience with a similar case...
 
She has had her ferret, Baby, for 3 years.  About 6 months ago Baby lost
all her hair - totally bald except for her head and legs.  She took her to
her vet (which is the same vet I use) and he told her Baby probably had an
adrenal tumor.  Well, six weeks ago Baby started to grow her hair back and
now has a full, luxurious coat - however, her vulva is now swollen.  The
vet says his best guess is she is adrenal, but he has never heard of an
adrenal case growing their hair back without surgery to remove the tumor.
He thinks if it is a case of her not being spayed she would have come into
season before, so he is really puzzled.  Through this whole thing Baby has
been acting perfectly normal - she eats well and is playful and happy.
 
I find Baby's case interesting because my little female, Crockett, started
losing her hair on her belly and down her back last December.  The vet
advised me to wait on surgery because she was at such an early stage that
he said the tumor would probably be too small to see, and she wasn't acting
sick.  He actually doesn't advocate rushing ferrets into surgery because he
has seen them do just as well without it - the only difference being they
don't have any hair.  Anyway, Crockett has now grown some of her hair back
- both on her belly and some on her tail.  She is not a bit sick; she is
fat and sassy and beats up her two big boy cagemates.
 
Has anyone out there ever had a ferret diagnosed as adrenal that grew their
hair back?  If so, what was the outcome?  Did they turn out to be adrenal
cases, or unspayed females or something else?  Any advice you could give me
will be greatly appreciated.
 
Best regards,
 
Serena DeCastro
   Ferret Territory and The Ferret Bed & Breakfast
   "the place for ferrets and ferret lovers"
          & the wrecking crew:
             Conan, Crockett & Elvis
[Posted in FML issue 3083]