To Stacy Thomas:
 
>LOOSING FUR- Harold is loosing quite a bit and fur and (it seems) weight.   At
>first I thought it was spring shedding but:
>  1) Scooter's still fluffy and plump
>  2) His tail is getting much thinner.
>Any opinions? Should I be worried. Harold's acting normal...
 
    Stacy - we really don't have a lot of information here to work with.
 This is the time of year that mailes will drop hair and weight - one of my
ferrets alwyas has some tremendous weight swings twice a year - at the
beginning and end of the breeding season.   And he's fixed.
 
    right now - I would wait and see, what happens...keep us posted.  We
still don't have evidence of hair loss on the trunk....
 
BREWER'S YEAST- Can Brewer's Yeast CAUSE ferrets to itch? Mine seem to be
scratching much more than usual (no fleas that I've seen). Or is shedding
again the cause? Sorry, my first shedding season as a ferret pet. :-\
 
    Animals may scractch durring the shedding period, or it may be an
allergy (of course an animal may become allergic to Brewer's yeast and start
scratching, or it may be another problem entirely (are you monitoring closely
for fleas?)  We saw the first flea of the year two days ago at our house - the
dogs bring them in, so we have to launder all of the bedding, bathe all the
ferrets, etc.
 
--
Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP              Department of Veterinary Pathology
[log in to unmask]               Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
[log in to unmask]             Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
(202) 782-2600/2602
[Posted in FML issue 1165]