our Ludo is humping stuff.  there's just no nice way of saying it.  we
suspected a testicular remnant (he was the largest baby ferret i've ever
seen and grew into a big heavy muscular boy), but we had his testosterone
levels checked by our vet (who, incidentally, drew blood with no gas with
very little trouble) and she says he has barely any testosterone,
indicating that it is more likely to be adrenal disease.
 
normally i would say that money is no problem and rush him straight in for
adrenal surgery, but less than two months ago Hoggle had blockage surgery
to the tune of $700 and there is simply no money to spare.
 
Ludo is one year and two months old and the mounting behaviour began in
february or march just as the days got longer in the spring.  he is in
**beautiful** condition, solid muscle, not even the slightest hint of hair
loss.  the only problem i've got is that he's humping the other ferrets
(and the wheels on the laundry cart, and occasionally his bedding) and he
was very aggressive to other ferrets at the ferret frolic recently.  oh,
and he likes to sneak up on me when i'm sitting down and bite me really
hard on the inner thigh, but i don't think that's related.  :) his midwest
cage he shares with the other ferrets is in our apartment living room,
where it is fairly bright, my fiance's and my work schedules mean that we
go to bed just as it gets dark and get up as the sun rises so Ludo does not
get excessive unnatural light.  we try to take all the ferrets to the park
at least once a week so that they get a bit of undiluted natural light.
they eat Eukaneuba Kitten food and get canola oil and nutrience kitten
food as treats.
 
so, i'm turning to all of you on the list, particularly anyone who has
experienced adrenal disease or a botched neuter, or who has experience with
whole hobs to shed some light on my situation (Bob C, are you there??).
do you think it's adrenal??  do you think the testosterone is low, but it
could still be a testicualr remnant??  what can i do to keep him healthy
until i can pull the money together to take him to Guelph for surgery?  is
it a good idea to take him to Guelph, to the university, for the surgery?
how else can i determine if he has adrenal disease without paying for the
whole panel of tests??
 
siani  (it never rains but it pours...)
[Posted in FML issue 2728]