BIlateral fur loss anywhere EXCEPT the tail is usually adrenal neoplasia.
Fur loss on the tail only (with no other adrenal symptoms beyond the
general category of fur loss) might be adrenal neoplasia but more
commonly is a dermal (skin) problem. If you look up RATTAIL/RAT TAIL in
the FML Archives
http://listserv.cuny.edu/archives/ferret-search.html, or FHL Archives
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org
you'll find easy things to try.
The necropsy discussion: I think that there was perhaps confusion because
either the first post did not make it clear that the cause of death was
known to be a tumor, or the reader missed that. As a result the reader
thought about other possible causes of death as being possible.
Usually when an unexpected death occurs it DOES make complete sense to
do a necropsy WITH PATHOLOGY (and at times with toxicology) because the
cause might be something which poses a hazard to the other ferrets.
Over the life of the FML there have been maybe three times when the
cause also posed a hazard to everyone else in the home. I can recall:
a leaking gas line under a stove and two situations involving carbon
monoxide, one a hole through to a neighboring garage during winter with
people warming cars in the garage instead of being logical and doing so
outside.
It does not make sense for people to be over-reacting on either side when
this seems to be a simple case of leaving out an essential detail or
missing it on reading. It doesn't matter which of those happened; we
each do both of those at assorted times, and we each have days when we
are rushed or grumpy due to the pressures of our already full day-to-day
lives. We're all ONLY HUMAN (just ask the ferrets) and WE ALL GOOF UP
NOW AND THEN. It's not like we're talking about anything worse than that
in this situation or like it is going to derail or destroy anyone's life,
so let's keep calm heads, please. There have already been too many
fights here recently (at least for my taste so I have been skipping a
lot of posts which I guess does save time...).
This does bring up something that we all need to think about right now,
though. The tension levels all over are high right now. There are too
many of us without income right now, too many with recent losses over
the last two years, too many afraid of terrorism who are just made more
tense by the continuing discussions and the risks to freedom some think
are needed (though losing those would create a situation in which the
terrorists win), too many with loved ones in combat zones, too many
reliving the worries they had when they had or lost loved ones in similar
situations (This especially seems to echo Vietnam for a great many of
us.), etc. As a result many of us are hurting a LOT more off-list than
we had before two years ago -- in many cases a real lot more. I
understand that; many of us are much worse off now than we were in
previous years in terms of tension, family, and finances. Steve and I
have been living on savings for a while now, and in the last about two
years we have lost multiple ferrets, two uncles, almost lost two aunts,
almost lost Steve's dad four times and his mom once, had a few human and
ferret emergencies and surgeries that turned out okay (including a
terrible emergency on Friday which against all odds worked out okay), and
we have my absolutely adored aunt and uncle now in a protected situation
with them not having designated anyone with Power of Attorney and both
having suddenly acquired mental infirmities but some needed medical care
not being agreed to by them and the state possibly due to declare them
incompetent and name guardians if they don't chose among their attorney
or us family members to select people to help them. It's been a truly
miserable time and I know that I am unusually tense as a result, but it
will NOT make my tension any less to punch anyone physically or verbally
(though hitting a punching bag can help). THIS IS A PLACE FOR
FRIENDSHIPS.
Maybe we ALL need to think a bit more about holding posts and cleaning
them up before sending them during this rough time for us all.
One thing about bad times: they either break up people
(families/friendships/communities) because folks feel safer showing anger
to those with whom they are close or have a tie in common assuming that
forgiveness will be forthcoming even if they push things too far, OR they
make such relationships stronger by those people binding together and
supporting each other emotionally. Let's try for the second, please, and
let's all take a gentle minute to remember those who are in a harder
place than we are ourselves. Right now I am thinking of those FML
people past and present who have loved ones in combat zones or are there
themselves.
[Posted in FML issue 4292]
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