Hi Joanne,
 
Regarding the statement you read about adrenal disease being mostly
cosmetic:
 
There are several things related to adrenal disease that can kill ferrets.
On one hand, some aspects of adrenal disease are cosmetic, i.e the hair
loss and change in coat color and texture.  Bald ferrets can live quite
happily, but there are other, nastier effects from adrenal disease.  For
example:
 
In male ferrets, a diseased adrenal gland can cause the prostate to swell
(as it did in my ferret Boomer) making urination frequent and sometimes
painful.  Boomer has had 2 urinary infections because of his adrenal
disease, requiring rounds of antibiotics and catheterization (which he
really did not enjoy).  Untreated, the urinary infection could have killed
him.  As it was, it gave him several weeks of great discomfort, a day or
two of real pain, and a lengthy, uncomfortable treatment to cure him.  He
is still having ongoing, frequent urinary problems.
 
In female ferrets, adrenal disease is sometimes accompanied by a swollen
or "popped" vulva and discharge.  Left alone, this can develop into an
infection and kill the ferret if untreated.  The female's body starts to
behave as if she is in heat, a condition she can't stay in too long or she
will become ill.  The adrenal disease makes hormones go haywire, and both
male and female ferrets with adrenale disease have a tendancy to begin to
act as thought they are not neutered or spayed.  In any animal, humans
included, excess, unchecked hormone surges are often bad news if they go
on for too long.
 
(Footnote - a swollen vulva does not ALWAYS indicate adrenal disease in
females.  Sometimes extreme stress can trigger this as well, as can a
botched or incomplete spay).
 
Male or female ferrets can suffer a variety of other ailments associated
with adrenal disease, all of which are uncomfortable for the ferret.
Excess itching is one.  My Nikita, with her adrenal disease, had spasms
of itching that left her crying with frustration.  She would explode out
of a deep sleep frantically itching herself all over and it would go on
for twenty minutes or so.  She couldn't stop itching.  She was always a
very "itchy" ferret, as they often are, but when she had adrenal disease
she would go into manic itching spasms and scratch herself endlessly.
She was desperately unhappy being so itchy, became depressed and withdrawn
and stopped eating.
 
Another is manic energy.  Nikita had that with her first bout of adrenal,
as did my ferret Rocky when he had adrenal disease.  Nikita would run in
circles around the living room as adrenaline surged thorugh her, unable to
stop.  She would only stop when she collapsed with exhaustion.  She was
not playing, she just couldn't stand still, almost like a kid with severe
ADD.  The hormones just made her crazy and she would run and run until her
little body collapsed, her heart pounding, panting to catch her breath.
 
Some adrenal disease ferrets are characterized by extreme energy LOSS.
Two of my adrenal ferrets just became completely sluggish and lethargic,
lost interest in play and each other.  Following adrenal surgery, they
bounced back to their old selves.
 
The disease itself also poses a risk in terms of the glands themselves.
Particularly on the right side, the adrenal gland lies partially under
the liver and next to the vena cava, the largest artery that runs through
the body.  If the adrenal gland becomes enlarged enough, it can interrupt
proper function of the liver and fuse to the vena cava, endangering the
blood supply and the artery walls.  In addition, the diseased gland can
grow until it presses on the liver or pancreas.  Ferrets who have an
enlarged adrenal gland pressing on the pancreas can begin to show signs of
insulinoma when in fact they do not have it.  This is dangerous, because
if a ferret shows signs of insulinoma when in fact the problem is an
enlarged adrenal and begins to be treated with Prednisone, the Pred can
exacerbate the adrenal disease and cause even wose problems.
 
If you can remember or find where you read that adrenal disease is mainly
cosmetic, please do share it here, because it should be brought to that
publication's attention that it is very much a health problem as well.
 
Thanks,
Heather W. in Massachusetts, who hates adrenal disease!!
[Posted in FML issue 3804]