The original question was not whether a specific individual had adrenal
disease, it was because the poster had read a website which said that
adrenal disease is a problem only of neutered ferrets, but the poster
recalled reading past posts about whole ferrets with adrenal disease.
 
So, what the question was, was this (paraphrased): Can adrenal disease
occur in whole ferrets?
 
Well, it can and it has.  Biopsies of the removed organs make that
abundantly clear.
 
Now, is it possible for people to confuse heat or rut with adrenal
disease?  Of course.  Anyone who has ever read any of the many pages
that point out that in many ways adrenal disease echoes what happens at
those times knows that.  So, if a ferret's background is unknown (or if
the spaying or altering surgery was only partial) a vet going in for an
adrenal might instead find reproductive tissue.
 
Still, in answer to whether whole ferrets can get adrenal disease.  Yes,
they can, just as some FML and FHL members have encountered, and just as
Dr. Ruth Heller found when she operated on that little girl.  So, when
there are symptoms of heat or rut perhaps it also makes sense to have a
look-see at the adrenals in some of those individuals, esp.  if there is
reason to question if there really is heat or rut, depending on the vet's
take on the individual.
 
Hey, both things can happen... Biopsies make that obvious.  In an intact
ferret usually the obvious cause in a whole individual for the symptoms
will occur, but life does have its little surprises.
 
-- Sukie (not a vet)
Ferret Health List co-moderator
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives fan
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
replacing
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org
International Ferret Congress advisor
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 5120]