>From:    SMELTZERS <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: HELP!
 
>...for a measley $20.- cage and all.  This poor little creatures cage WAS a
FILTHY mess, but what bothers me the most is her loss of hair, and
>scratches/raw areas that I believe are a direct result of her scratching
>and biting herself.  <SNIP> My main concern is her scratching and hairloss.
>I stayed up half the night surfing for info last night, and read about
>adrenal disease.  Although the hairloss is on her "lower" half, I'm still
>thinking the problem may be something else- resulting from the scratching
>and biting.  Sometimes she also "shivers", I mean shakes reakky fast, and I
>couldn't find any information about that on the net.
 
Hi Suzzane!
 
It's great that you're being so proactive and surfing the web to help your
fur kid!  Since she was living in filth you should get her a good bath, for
starters, and, since she was eating cat food, work very hard to get her on a
diet of Totally Ferret, which can be mixed with a high-quality kitten food,
such as IAMS or ProPlan.  You might try to get some samples from the pet
store to see what she might like.  But good nutrition will be paramount to
her longterm health, as you obviously already know :) So try really hard to
wean her off that kitten chow.  As for treats, you might want to hold off on
these until she's on a good diet.  A little ferretone with olive oil might
be good since she's so itchy, though.  If you rub it on her lips and gums a
couple times, she might surprise you by becoming a quick convert!
 
Shivering real fast is the norm for fuzzies, though it was
alarming to me at first!
 
She may have adrenal disease.  If it were fleas, you'd see them!  Vets often
will run tests for skin conditions, which usually turn up negative.  Give it
a week or twi to see if fur starts growing back in, now that she's getting
good care.  Blow on her fur and watch for little dark specks (or blue)
coming in.  Adrenal fuzzies will still run and play, as she is doing.  It
doesn't matter where the hair loss starts; hair loss anywhere may be a
symptom of adrenal disease.
 
Another symptom, for female fuzzies, is a swollen vulva, which may come and
go.  Her vaginal area, under her tail, should not be sticking out or
prominent.  If it is, coupled with hair loss, you've in all likelihood got
an adrenal fur kid and will need to look into getting her some help.  But
don't panic; there's lots you can do!
 
I run an supportive, informational Ferret Adrenal/Insulinoma Mailing List
(FAIML) that you and everyone is welcome to join.  We have about 100
subscribers now, people who share concern and interest in fuzzies and these
two diseases.  Thanks to our group I have found help for my second adrenal
fuzzy; we weren't so lucky with our first, who could have been saved with
quick, up to date info.
 
I wish you all the luck with your new sweetheart... just getting away from
all that filth and into the home of someone who cares and takes the time to
learn about her will make a huge difference in her life.
 
Bless you for being another fuzzy people... not to sound pompous, but, hey,
don't we make this a better world?!
 
Lynn Mc.  and the Gang of Seven furrzies (all always watching the stars for
Percy, Schroedee Boat, Squeek, and Squeek's neural tube siblings, 'Erb and
the two born without breath...)
 
>Suzanne
[Posted in FML issue 2198]