I wanted to share an experience we had regarding adrenal disease in one of
our female ferrets.  Mithril had shown hair loss on her tail for more than
one year.  She had been to our ferret-experienced vet multiple times, but
because she did not show any vulva swelling, he assured us it wasn't adrenal
cancer.  Mithril had not noticably shed during this time period, so her hair
loss was attributed to the normal hair loss often seen in ferrets before
they shed their summer coat.  Mithril's hair loss started to progress up
onto her hindquarters and I felt like I had heard of adrenal disease being
present without the sign of vulva swelling, so I finally decided to get a
second opinion.  This vet said he had just diagnosed his first case of
adrenal disease in a female ferret without vulva swelling.  He did a test
that evaluates the estrogen level in the blood.  He has readings from tests
done on other ferrets, some of which were in heat.  It took more than a week
to get the results of the blood test and it was fairly expensive: $70.
Mithril's estrogen level was higher than that of the females in heat for
which he had records.  Mithril underwent adrenal surgery on March 31st and
had her left adrenal was removed, which proved to be malignant.  She has
recovered and appears much more active than she was before surgery, but she
still has a naked tail!  I hope she will shed soon, so we can have her
looking as healthy as she feels.
 
Has anyone else had adrenal cancer present in a female that did not show
swelling of her vulva?
 
Elayne
[Posted in FML issue 1916]