Hello all.  I hate to start my first week back on the list with a
problem, but this is the group with all the answers!
 
My Jeffrey (age 5-ish) has two knots on his tail.  One is about an inch
from the base and is realy just a bump.  The other is another inch closer
to the tip and is now about the size of a marble and is egg shaped.  It
is hard, not squishy, and the normal tail color.  Jeffrey still has all
the fur on his tail (he did have adrenal surgery about two years ago).
He's still acting normal (crazy!).  He does seem to have lost a little
weight, as his skin is kind of wrinkley in places.  His fur is thin up
between the shoulder blades, but he and his brothers play rough with each
other sometimes (and Jeffrey is the little instigater usually!).  He's
eating, drinking and pooping normally.  He eats Iams kitten and Totally
Ferret mixed.  He's not a big treat eater, but does get a lick of
Petromalt daily (since the vet made us give up Ferretone and Ferretvite).
 
Do you guys have any idea what this is?  I'd love to go into the vet
visit with a little knowledge.
 
Second problem- Joe (age 4) has a wart looking place on his hind leg.
The vet said it was a sign of stress, ran a series of tests and figured
out that he was overdosing on vitamins (thus the no more ferretone and
ferretvite rule).  We've stopped all vitamin supplements, anything
fortified and are using raisin bits as treats.  All of his test levels
have gone back to normal.  The problem is that Joe still has the place on
his leg.  Periodically he scratches it and it bleeds.  He too is acting
as normal as he ever does. :)  I just don't know what to do about the
place on his leg.  My last vet (who turned out to be an idiot) used to
cut these places off of them.  That ending up killing one of my girls
when we couldn't get the bleeding to clot.  Help!  Any thoughts on what
this is and how to make it heal?  Joe cannot possible still be stressed!
I mentioned it to the vet last time we were in and he didn't seem
terribly concerned.  Joe's had it since January and has been testing
normal since spring.  What do I do?
 
thanks,
Anne
[Posted in FML issue 4246]