Dr.  Bossart made a good point.  Not all ferrets with adrenal tumors have
hairloss.  I have recently compiled statistics for the last 35 adrenal
surgeries I have seen.  85.7% of the ferrets presented with hairloss.  The
15% that had no hairloss were males with aggressive behavior (they also
usually had inappropriate urination, or straining to urinate from prostatic
enlargement), and spayed females that presented with an enlarged vulva as
their only symptom.
 
In my experience a spayed female with an enlarged vulva has an adrenal tumor
unless proven otherwise (a very small percentage of these may have a small
piece of ovary left after an incomplete spay).
 
Charlie Weiss,DVM
Potomac Animal Hospital
301-299-4142
[Posted in FML issue 1534]