Margaret:
 
>...Her son noticed a puncture wound on the side of two of the ferrets.  It
>turned out to be a hole made from some type of fly larva.  It isn't clear
>to me if the larva is ingested or if this type of fly lays an egg in the
>fur.  As the larva develops it burrows a hole in the ferret...
 
    I agree that this is a warble fly (the larva is called a "wolf") These
flies lay an egg in an open wound - the larva will mature in the wound, with
it hind end (which it breathes from) contacting the outside environment
through a hole.  Believe it or not, they don't do tremendous amounts of
damage, except to the appetite of the owner.  I have seen squirrels with
several of them, but still in very good health.  They can easily be removed
by your vet under a little gas anesthesia, the hole flushed out, and healing
will be rapid.  But the ferret's owner should certainly consider moving
those ferrets inside (at least during the summer and fall....)
 
    I would have to say that it is most likely not screwworm - screwworms
(Cochliomyia hominvorax) has been eradicated from the states for many years
due to its impact on livestocks, and the government spends millions of
dollars yearly to populate the southern states with sterile flies to prevent
further incursions.  I think the use of the term screwworm was probably not
accurate.  I had the ability to work with the "real" screwworms during my
years in Cuba - these are miserable critters and result in death in most
cases of any animal smaller than a large dog.
 
>A while back my son's ferret, Nikki had adrenal surgery (thanks Dr.
>Williams for your help).  The surgery went well but taking out the left
>adrenal didn't solve the problem.  She still has all the symptoms, hair
>loss, vulva swollen, so the right adrenal must be involved too...
>I wish there was more we could do.
 
    Unfortunately, there may be a bilateral lesion, or one affecting both
adrenals.  We are able to remove up to one adrenal and half of the other in
these cases, and information is becoming available on replacement therapy
for ferrets with both adrenal removed.....I wonder if the lesion may have
been in the right rather than the left adrenal...unfortunately, you usually
have to go on which adrenal is larger at surgery....
 
Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP
Dept. of Vet Path, AFIP
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Chief Pathologist, AccuPath
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[Posted in FML issue 1362]