To Cindy and Doug,
 
It sounds as if you are doing a heroic job with Oki, I'm just a little
concerned to hear about the possible adrenal problem associated with the
trouble urinating.  My 6.5-year old, Elie, developed adrenal disease which
caused his prostate to swell up and prevent him from urinating.  He had to
have emergency adrenal surgery to correct the problem and ended up staying
at the hospital for a week while they treated him for a kidney infection.
His prostate came down within 24 hours and he started to eat normally, put
on weight and fur, and returned to his former playful self.  He is fine now
and the vet did a great job, but had I known about the potential
complications of adrenal disease in male ferrets I would have opted for
surgery sooner.
 
If Oki is having trouble peeing, you might want to have the vet check to see
if his prostate is swollen.  I do not know if there is a non-surgical
treatment for this, you might need to opt for the surgery.  The vet can
drain the bladder with a needle if necessary to relieve the pressure, but
this is only a very temporary measure.
 
Please keep us posted as to how Oki is doing, and G*d bless you for your
efforts.
 
Regards,
 
Gail Snyder Shochet
and Elie Wiesel, Pixel, Kiaya and Pepe
[Posted in FML issue 2287]