>My 5 year old male, CJ has been scratching so much that he has lost hair on
>his neck and shoulders.  Back in July we had a flea problem here which was
>odd because they barely leave the house unless it's to go to the vets,
>and they don't have contact with other animals.  Anyways, CJ seem to have
>the worse reaction to the fleas and that's when he started losing his hair.
 
Yes, that CAN happen.  There are many possible causes for fur lose on the
trunk: adrenal growths (There are two adrenal glands and sometimes there is
ectopioc tissue), parasites, allergies, mechanical rubbing, skiin diseases,
on rare occasion insulinoma or another non-adrenal hormonal growth, on rare
occasion age, etc.  Glad you tackled those fleas rapidly; they can be fatal.
 
>I know it's not adrenal related because he had a successful adrenalectomy
>about a year ago.
 
Unless BOTH adrenals came out, and came out cleanly it could be adrenal.
Something like 15% wind up with both adrenals affected, and in many cases R
adrenals do not come out cleanly.  Is he a ferret who absolutely HAS to
live on a combination of Florinef and Prednisone or alternative meds to
replace adrenal products?  If NOT then he retained either an adrenal or
some adrenal tissue by definition.  Those without will die without the
replacements.  We have one who will sometime need a third adrenal surgery
if her remnants of her right grow back too much; by then, though, she
hopefully should have established enough collateral circulation that the
Vena Cava (into which the R adrenal has grown) that ligation of the vein
will be safe enough to try.
 
>Could it be allergies?  Any ideas?
 
Allergies often are to the detergents or fabric softeners used when washing
bedding, to perfumes in some litters, etc.  Try skipping fabric softener
and use only the non-dye, non-perfume detergents.
 
>On a lighter note, my little girl Cindy had a successful adrenalectomy
>this morning.  Our vet removed a big ugly tumor from her left adrenal gland
>and it is being sent for a biopsy.  There was also one in her pancreas.
 
It is not unusual to see both adrenal growths and insulinomae in the same
individuals, though they are separate types of growths, except when
something like a lymphoma is in there.
 
>She is recovering quite nicely and I get to pick her up this evening.
 
Marvelous!
 
>I want to thank Anastasia Kidd for her kind words in her email to me.  I
>felt a lot better this morning after dropping Cindy off.  I'm so grateful
>this list exists.  I think I'd be lost without all of you and this list!!!
[Posted in FML issue 3525]