In issue 305 Ron 'Coyote' Lussier says...
> ... Elsa is now about 9 years old, and she is suffering from creeping
> baldness. Her hind end and tail are nearly hairless, and I noticed this
> morning while holding her that she seems to be losing hair on her head.
 
Well, bad news and good news.  What you are describing seems like a real
classic case of a adrenal tumor - very very common in ferrets.  The good
news is that such things are not generally fatal (they don't metastasize)
and are pretty easy to remove.  Though, on a 9 year old ferret, I'm not
sure if the risk/reward ratio is as favorable.  I suggest seeing a vet
with a lot of experience with such stuff - Karen Rosenthal at the Animal
Medical Center in New York City is one I can recommend, off hand.
 
I don't want to sound alarming - again, they are relatively harmless as far
as tumors go, but I do think it is important to find someone familiar with em.
 
Bill
 
[Posted in FML issue 0307]