First I need to apologize in advance if this subject was recently
discussed on this list. If it has, please tell me and I will search
the archives.

Calvin has recently lost hair on only his nape. So much that his skin
is exposed bare. His tail and butt still have plenty of hair but not
the thick winter coat he normally has by this time of the year. I took
Calvin to his vet whom said that since his butt and tail look fine,
the hair lose is probably due to an allergy.

Calvin was diagnosed with insulinoma in December 2005 and had surgery.
Unfortunately, his pancreas looked normal so he has been on
pediapred(6.7mg/5ml) .5cc 2x/day.

I have not read about fuzzies losing hair on their nape before nor have
I read about fuzzies losing hair because of an allergy. Please tell me
if you know of either case.

We will be sending a blood sample to UT for an adrenal panel to get a
definitive diagnosis next week. Calvin's vet took blood (3cc) on Friday
and Calvin has been wiped-out since then. I am slightly worried about
this as I don't know what it means. He still eats and drinks but sleeps
when he is usually running and exploring.

When Calvin's vet and I discussed possible treatment for adrenal
disease, if that is what he has, I suggested time-release melatonin
implants. His response was that he has not read an article regarding
this treatment in a refereed journal. I showed him two articles I found
on the web. One from Dr. Cottrell and one from Ferret Universe. If you
know of other articles, especially from a refereed journal, please let
me know.

Calvin's vet biggest concern with using melatonin implants is that it
only treats the symptoms and not the disease. I may be way off here,
but since Calvin is five years old, that may be the best we can do. His
blood draw really zapped his energy reserve. I don't want to think what
surgery would do.

Thanks in advance for your comments!

-- 
William M. Davidson
[log in to unmask]

1704 Blume, NE
Albuquerque, NM 87112
505 294 4571

Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they
don't want, to impress people they don't like.
-Will Rogers

[Posted in FML 5424]