>I do think back now and wonder if I couldn't have done something, that I
>should have somehow 'known' he wa sick.  I was aware of adrenal cancer in
>ferrets and watched carefully for the symptoms listed is many books, but
>he didn't seem to have any of these with the exception that over the last
>year he's 'slowed down' a bit in his romps, but I attributed it to aging.
>I'm glad to at least have an answer, to know what happened, and to have
>gained some knowledge for the future.
 
Dear Kim:
 
Unfortunately, not all ferrets read the textbooks or the FML.  While the
vast majority of adrenal cases show typical signs such as hair loss, vulvar
swelling, or a retunr to sexual behavior - not all do.  Sometimes one flies
under the radar on us.  Signs may be extremely subtle - there are a lot of
cases that actually surprise us - I'd hate to count the number of times
I've been caught off guard.
 
I'm glad you had the autopsy done and now you have your answer.  Don't beat
yourself up on this one - like most of us, you'll have plenty of other
times to legitimately beat yourself up in the future.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 3193]