I have taken my new ward to the vet yesterday afternoon for bloodwork.
She is displaying what seems to me to be the classic hairloss I've heard,
read about and seen pictures of.  Her back and belly were bald when I got
her.  She is fine in every other way...eats well, energy level great,
urinates well and what goes in definitely goes back out.  I will find out
the results next Mon.  since the blood needs to be sent out for evaluation.
 
What does the swollen vulva look like...is there a picture someone can
guide me to that will show me what I'm looking for?  As far as I know,
she doesn't have a swollen vulva (you should be able to see it externally
right?).  She does kind of look like she has a swollen abdomen though.
She kind of has that "old kitty" belly look where it kind of sags, but
hers is not saggy.
 
When I got her a week ago she was also covered in fleas.  I have
absolutely NO idea how old she is...NO background histroy at all.  I
don't even know for sure if she's been spayed.  She's doesn't have the
classic marks of being a MF ferret.  She must have come from a private
breeder.  Her hair is growing back even though she still scratches but I
see no more fleas.  I have used the Hartz cat flea drops for cats and
kittens under 10 lbs on her and haven't seen a flea since, but couldn't a
flea allergy be the culprit for her hair loss?
 
I also have another question.  It might sound dumb, but as I've told
others...the only dumb one is the one never asked.  She is albino and it
seems her skin is more fragile than just lacking pigmentation.  She seems
to get scratched easier than the other 3 ferrets I have which are sables.
The others don't have nearly as many scratches on them as she does.  So
are albino's skin more tender than ferrets of other colors?  Has anyone
noticed the difference between their albinos and others?
 
Veronica
[Posted in FML issue 3937]