Hi again,
 
MEDICAL QUESTION:  Why is Percy balding?
 
FACTS: re: exploratory surgery: Percy's operation was for hair loss
(beginning three months ago a bit prior to an ECE or something like ECE
bout, during which Percy was sick the longest of six ferrets, about three to
four weeks) though not the classic adrenal pattern of hair loss, straining
during urination, and to examine a big mass in his intestines.
 
PATH report: The mass was a mesentary gland, not tumerous, but enlarged.
More on that later.  Doc mentioned that the straining in urination might be
due to the discomfort of a 1 1/2 inch mesentary gland sitting behind his
stomach amidst his intestines.  Makes sense to me.  Doc says the prednisone
may help shrink the mesentary gland.
 
The skin biopsy showed possible hormonal cause, but nothing definite, and
doc says skin biopsies are usually definite for hormonal causes, if an
adrenal tumor is present.
 
Both adrenals were pretty tiny, like a third of a caper (left) and half a
caper (right), so somewhat bigger than the left.  Doc took a portion of the
right and sent it in for biopsy.  More inconclusion.  It showed signs of
cellular dividing, but doc guesses if you checked 4-year-olds adrenals about
half of the ferrets would show signs of pre-adrenal cellular dividing - the
stage before adenoma.  Doc, whose good on analagies, compared the cellular
change to a tile floor, not getting a lot bigger, but with tiles dividing
and buckling up.  The right adrenal could be secreting extra weird levels of
hormones, but doc doesn't think so; and, anyway, to remove such a tiny
adrenal wouldn't be possible in entirety, he says, and if any were left from
such a potent, tiny gland, it might keep secreting extra weird levels of
hormone anyway.  I hope I've got all this right!
 
So, Percy's hair loss may be nutritionally related.  The mesentary gland,
which drains the intestines and sits behind the stomach, was about an inch
and a half across, and probably enlarged due to a low-grade bacterial
infection, doc surmises, with possibly some inflammatory bowel disease going
on.  He may not be absorbing nutrients well, though I haven't seen funny
stools in his litter.  The antibiotics and prednisone may help with this.  O
therwise, we'll just have to wait and see and try other avenues to get
Percy's coat back.
 
Any and all opinions about Percy's hair loss are welcomed.
 
Thank you,
 
Lynn Mc.
[Posted in FML issue 1755]