Hi. I'm posting on behalf of a fellow ferret owner I recently met
at the vet. Sneaker (owned by Sharon Gadner) is a 5 1/2 year old male whom
the vet has diagnosed as having adrenal cancer. This was based only on his
having the same symptoms as other ferrets he had seen with this condition.
His symptoms are frequent butt-dragging and scratching of the hindquarters,
and the loss of all his tail fur, as well as the beginnings of loss on his,
umm, hips I think (second hand info). I'm not a vet, and this vet has always
seemed to be pretty ferret-knowledgeable, as well as being recommended for
ferrets by all other vets I've talked to. But this diagnosis seems a little
weak to me, especially without any tests having been run. Sneaker is showing
no other symptoms, has normal energy levels, and is eating and eliminating
normally.
 
     The vet also said the adrenal gland could not be removed, as it is
necessary for regulating various body functions and the ferret would die
without it. From the List I had gathered that removal of *both* adrenal
glands would kill a ferret, but that they can function normally with one.
I seem to recall that the right is easier to remove than the left, but I'm
not certain, and she didn't know which gland was affected anyway (actually,
neither would the vet since his diagnosis is based on syptoms). He also said
he's never seen a ferret live past age 7. This strikes me as rather discou-
raging to Sharon (and I'm sure I've heard of some List ferrets living longer).
 
     What I'd like to know is:
 
(a) can a ferret live normally with one adrenal gland?
(b) what are some other possible diagnoses?
(c) what tests should be run to make a determination?
 
If this could be phrased as something that I could print out and give to
the vet that would be best.
 
I must again stress that I've been dealing with this vet for over two years,
and he has always seemed fairly knowledgeable about the ferret conditions I've
seen talked about on the List, and certainly seems to care about the animals
that are in his care.
 
One more thing, about my new ferret Sammy. He has a drinking problem! What
I mean is, he has a problem drinking :). I use water dishes, and have had
no problems with my other ferrets (and besides, all the water bottles I've
tried have dripped). Sammy doesn't seem to quite get how it's supposed to
work. When I first got him he would dunk the whole front of his head when
drinking. Gradually he improved so he only dunked his chin, but he still
sometimes immerses his chin and pushes his face all over the bowl like he's
playing 'boat' or something (and incidentally splashes water all over the
place). Is he just playing? Is this behavior likely to improve over time?
(he's 11 weeks old today)
 
I'm sorry to report also that after almost 5 weeks Cassie still hasn't
accepted him. She's very intimidated by him, and hisses whenever he even
walks by. It doesn't help that he's so playful, and likes to play so rough
(causing her to squeal in a way which I, as her Daddy, just can't ignore :).
It also doesn't help that he already outweighs her. She has played with him
briefly on a couple of occasions when she's already very excited, but usually
she tries to avoid him. I've been trying to scold Sammy when he's too rough
with her, hoping he would learn to calm down, but with limited success. Any
advice? Words of encouragement? It only took a week for Bud to accept Cassie
(but Bud has a size advantage, and has always been more relaxed than Cassie).
 
John, Buddy, Cassidy, and Sammy
 
[Posted in FML issue 0907]