> Lisa LOVES Pounce.
>Anyway, she also goes crazy over milk bones.
     Well I'm glad to know it's not just *my* ferrets :)  By the way, my
vet did mention on our last visit that my old ferret guys have the nicest
teeth he's ever seen...he attributes it in part to the milkbones...
 
>For Sheena Staples - You did not mention whether or not your bald tailed
>ferret had any other symptoms - such as an enlarged vulva or enlarged
>nipples.
     No she has neither of these symptoms but she does occassionally have
a somewhat swollen looking anus.  She eats and plays and attacks the
dishtowels with gusto, so whatever her problem it doesn't seem to be
bothering her.
 
>She may be in early stages of adrenal disease.  However, I have
>also seen "rat tails" many times in older ferrets, especially after they have
>shed coats for summer.  Seems to be more prominent in lighter ferrets
 
        She's quite a dark sable and it definately isn't coat change...she
began to lose the hair on her tail after I adopted her last October and it
was pretty much completely bald by Christmas.  It has never grown back.  It
isn't spreading either...
        Thanks very much for everyone's feedback, but no vets around here
seem to be aware of any way of testing for an adrenal tumour.  Also,
Canadian surgery prices are astronomical and I don't think I could afford to
have exploratory surgery on top of surgery to remove whatever it is she
*might* have.  She's an older ferret and I don't think I can do anymore for
her than make her comfortable and make sure her quality of life isn't
deteriorating.  If it appears to be, then I will make a decision at that
time (I know I'm probabaly going to get trounced for this, but I just don't
*have* the money and someone just recently dropped three more rescues off at
my door - one of whom has teeth so rotten that one has fallen out already.
So I'm pretty certain that my options are limited)
        Dan:  I take two of my ferrets camping every year...we string up a
line between two trees, slipping it through the handles of the leashes
first.  They can then roam back and forth for nice distances without geting
away (those HAGEN harnesses with the snaps instead of buckles are a God
send!  They can never escape!)  At night, we put them in the carrier (with a
litter box, food and water) and leave it in the car.  That way there's no
chance of anything eating or stealing them) :)
 
        Joop is doing very well now that he's been on the Kaopectate, by the
way.  His stools still aren't *quite* up to snuff, but they look a lot more
like healthy animal stools then what they were.
Sheena and some billion ferrets playing in my kitchen
[Posted in FML issue 1267]