To Hetrick:
 
> My female ferret, Tolly, has a rather strange physical thing (at least
>I think it is), her sphincter is inverted (sticks out).  It isn't like this
>all the time, but I'm not sure if this is normal, could someone please
>verify if this is okay.
 
        Hetrick - are you sure that this is the anal sphincter, or could it be
the vulva.  Either way the protrusion is not normal.  Is your ferret spayed?
 Intact females in heat may have swollen vulvas, and this shoudl be addressed
shortly, as ferrets that are not spayed or bred may die as a result of a marked
bone marrow depression.  Addtionally, spayed females with adrenal disease may
have swollen vulvas as a result of excessive estrogen secretion by the adrenal.
 
        If it is truly the anus, then we are probably deaing with a rectal
prolapse.  This often occurs in animals with prolonged diarrhea or straining
when defecating.  Treatment is generally medical, but depends upon the severity
of the protrusion....
 
--
Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP              Department of Veterinary Pathology
[log in to unmask]               Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
[log in to unmask]             Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
(202) 782-2600/2602
[Posted in FML issue 1198]