Sorry - my reader just ate my letter with all of the quotes - 15 min down the
drain ...
 
        Here's my recap off the top of my head -
 
        To Art Rochelle concerning colitis -
 
        The occasional loose or mucusy stools is not a major problem - as long
as the ferret is not losing wait.  Proliferative colitis, a disease caused by
campylobacter organisms generally causes frequent, painful, and bloody
defecations, and Fez isn't showing any of these signs.
 
        The major cause of loose stools is something awry in the diet.  There is
always the possibility of dietary allergy, as the colon will move this food
along too quickly, before it gets all of the water out of it.
 
        Branprobably will not help here - it may worsen the problem - bringing
more water into this stool.
 
        I think your vet is on the right track - we can wait and see a bit here.
 You might ask your vet if he/she knows of any hypoallergenic, lamb-based diets
for cats and try it - changing slowly of course.  That may help to rule out a
dietary allergy.
 
        Keep us posted.
 
        To Effie Maire concerning Taz' hair loss....
 
        The main causes of coarse, sparse fur in ferrets are 1) age, 2) intact
status, 3) adrenal disease.  I have a 7 year old ferret whose hair caot is
starting to get a bit thin and "sticky".  I see this a lot in older ferrets -
dietary fatty acid supplementation has been said to help this, but I don't have
a lot of experience with it.
 
        I also have not an intact male, but one who was "castrated", but I think
has a retained testicle.  He does have an odor to him, and his hair is a bit
coarse.  Could their be a possibility that Tax may still have a testicle?
 
        Then let's not forget adrenal disease - it certainly doesn't sound clear
cut here, but let's keep it in the back of our minds....
 
        Concerning dietary allergy, see above.  Dietary allergy has never been
documented in the ferret medical literature, but there certainly is no reason
why it couldn't be.
 
 
        To somebody (sorry!) concerning sweets and tumors -
 
        Don't worry, giveing sweets can't cause pancreatic tumors.  They arisee
spontaneously in ferrets on all types of diets.  (And hair loss suggests adrenal
disease, rather than pancreatic disease, but no matter - you didn't give your
pet a tumor).
 
Bruce Williams
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[Posted in FML issue 0784]