To Sabrina and Jezebel, who has a greenish discharge in her "pubic
     area":
 
        Sabrina - I'm glad that you are going to see the vet on Monday.  It
     is difficult to diagnose a problem like this from a distance - but I
     am concerned about a few things that could cause a discharge from that
     area:  1)  adrenal disease, and 2) a urinary tract infection.
 
        One of the common presenting signs in females iwth adrnela disease
     is a greenish to clear discharge from the uterus.  This arises as a
     result of a mild uterine infection due to changes in the uterine
     lining which arise due to the estrogens secreted by a hyperfunctional
     adrenal.  Also seen with adrenal disease in female ferrets may be
     vulvar swelling and/or hair loss.
 
        Urinary tract infections more commonly preent as frequent
     urination, perhaps with a bit of blood in the urine, but due to the
     predilection for female ferrets to develop kidney infections if the
     bladder infections aren't treated, a quick trip to the vet is
     certainly in order to check out this possibility.
 
        Finally, as you mentioned, anal sac problems are possible, but in a
     five-year-old ferret which has been descented as a young animal, I
     think this posibility is somewhat remote.  But I wiould still like to
     know what that lump is in that area.  Anal sac problems resulting from
     poor descenting technique usually show up much earlier in life.
 
       Bruce Williams, DVM                 Department of Veterinary Pathology
       [log in to unmask]         Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
       OR [log in to unmask]           Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
            (202) 782-2600/2602
     Good luck at the vets' and keep us posted...
[Posted in FML issue 1153]