>Loosing hair both on tail, and on his back.  He has scabs on him from
>severe scratching. ...He also has what sounds like a cough, or hack.
>... got into a fight ... and the other ferret put a whopper of a choke
>hold on him.  ... Ever since then he has been a bit listless, and tired
>acting.  ... I would like to ease his itching, if nothing else.
 
Thanks again CJ and a tired, miserable itchy BEAR
 
Hi CJ,
 
Bear most likely is adrenal, which may have played a part in his buddy
putting the whopper choke hold on him, especially if his buddy was
adrenal, too.  Part of the reason Bear is listless and tired acting
now, could be depression from loosing his friend.  Extra attention and
cuddling might help.  It could also be that he just doesn't feel good,
due to being adrenal.
 
Bear certainly is the right age for adrenal, and it often is first
noticed when the hair starts to thin.  The itchiness is also very
characteristic.
 
Since he is probably grooming himself, he may be ingesting more hair than
normal, so a hairball laxative would be a good move to help keep the hair
moving through.  It is possible this is the source of his cough.
 
You might be able to provide Bear with some temporary relief from his
adrenal symptoms by using Melatonin.  The dose is 1 mg per day, given 8
hours after sunrise, however it can be given later than that, and still
be effective.  The important thing is that it is given every day at close
to the same time.  I grind the tablet and mix it into some soft food;
they don't mind taking it at all.  My experience has been about 1 in 3
ferrets will respond to Melatonin, and it takes a couple of weeks to a
month to see results, if it is going to work.
 
Another option is Lupron, but you would need to have a vet order the shot
and give it, so you would need to find a knowledgable vet nearby, and
stay in the area long enough for the medication to arrive and be
administered.
 
As for his itching, in the past, my vet has recommended Children's
Benedryl for itchy mast cell tumors until we could get them in for their
surgery, since mast cell tumors produce histamine.  This worked very
well.  I don't think itchiness from adrenal involves the release of
histamines, though.  If you would like to try it, he had me give 1.0 ml,
2-3 times a day.  He should get some relief with the first dose, if it is
going to work.  You might get him some relief by rubbing a lotion or
cream (Bag Balm ?) onto his itchy areas.  Be careful of what you use,
though, because he might ingest it.  (I am not a vet.)
 
Good luck to you and Bear,
Julie
[Posted in FML issue 4283]