Hello everyone...
 
My ferret Bean is going on 5 years old. The last two years, she has had a
swollen vulva around springtime and has had HCG injections (at St. Mark's
Vet here in NYC), I'm assuming to "bring her out of heat". She was spayed
before I got her (at 8 weeks old, she is from Triple F Farms)
 
This year, her vulva is swollen again (though not nearly as swollen as in
the past), her coat is rough and dry and she has started losing the fur
on her neck (in the "bib" area) and her tail is a little on the thin
side.  She has always had a thinner coat than my other ferret and has
always been a little more itchy than him as well.  Also, she got rat tail
a couple of years ago (with some blackheads), that was unrelated to the
swollen vulva.  I gave her a small amount of Linatone daily for about a
month or so, the tail cleared up and the fur grew back full and soft.  I
only bathe them 2-3 times a year.
 
I guess I'm more concerned this year, as I was unexpectedly layed off
at the end of January and I'm having a lot of trouble finding new work.
I'm still trying to scrape up the funds to go and get her the hormone
injection in hopes that it will work again this year.  (The injections
always made the symptoms go away.)  I know it's really hard to say without
being able to see her, but with the addition of the fur loss on her neck
could it mean that she is adrenal for sure?
 
I guess I'm just freaking out a little more than usual because I don't
have the money to get her any blood work or tests to see if anything else
is wrong.  They're actually both overdue for yearly vaccinations as well.
Another problem that could be arising shortly is that I have asthma and
am alleric to my "kids".  My asthma inhaler is running out and I have no
health insurance now, so my inhaler is too expensive for me to have
refilled.
 
I'm actually considering trying to find them a new home (as they have
been together since at least 8 weeks and I wouldn't want to separate
them), that would be better able to (financially) take care of them.
I don't want to give them up, they are really all I have left, but I
don't want her/them to suffer because of my selfishness.  I just feel
completely helpless right now.
 
Any insight or suggestions I would be very grateful for.
 
Leslie, Bean and Daggett
[Posted in FML issue 4101]