Our 4 years old female ferret, Pepe La Pew, has had her left adrenal gland
taken out in winter 1996.
 
Her fur colour has changed: the underfur and the fur under her belly is now
a reddish golden brown. I was wondering if this indicates that her adrenal
gland is malfunctioning. She was neuteured at her first heat. Her smell is
different muskier (smells like the ear wax) than the other ferrets, but she
does not smell like when she was on heat I think, she had then a strong
"skunky" smell I believe.
 
After the operation, her underfur grew back as well some of the fur on her
tail.  She has since lost all the fur on her tail.  She drinks and scratches
herself more than the other ferrets.  Her skin is probably thinner than the
other ferrets as she gets small scabs when another ferret bites her in mock
fight.
 
Furthermore, I noticed this week that her whiskers started to split at the
ends or break in the middle.  She is seems as active as usual.  She eats
good quality food: Totally Ferret, Eukanuba for kitten, Nutro-Max or Iams.
 
I am planning to bring her to our veterinarian in April but I would like to
know what I should watch for or what I could to meanwhile.  I have been told
to give her red meat but she does not like it even when dipped in Ferretone.
 
Lorraine Tremblay and her gang of mini criminals:
Pepe La Pew, Mukluk, Sanka, Presto, Snoreau & Boum Boum
"Simply because they are what they are - furry, large-eyed and visually
appealing - we tend to excuse crimes against the household that we would
never permit our children to perpetrate." Bruce Fogle on cats & dogs
[Posted in FML issue 1887]