>I'm really worried.  My poor baby, Baxter has small scabs / sores on him.
>They are mostly on his undersides.  They actually look like chicken pox.
>Any suggestions/ideas?  I'm so afraid that they are the beginning of
>something.  I was hoping that he's just allergic to something, but.....
>PLEASE send me any helpful info.
 
Dear Sal -
 
This is a difficult problem to diagnose without more info - a picture would
really be helpful here., and more information on Baxter's age, etc.
 
Without knowing how many scabs and sores that there are, I would first
suggest a trip to your vet - a good exam, and if the answer is not
apparent, a biopsy is in order.  You can see scabs as a result of
autoimmune disease in the ferret, as a result of mild skin infecitons,
or they can represent small skin tumors, such as mast cell tumors.
 
Scabs cn be the result of flea bites, a cutaneous manifestation of allergy
(such as food), or even ringworm in ferrets.
 
Best idea - have your vet check it out.
 
All the best,
 
Bruce Williams, dVM
[Posted in FML issue 3191]