>Gizmo, my 5+ year old insulinomic fella, is showing a weird hair loss
>pattern.
>
>He's got tons of fur on his head, neck, shoulders, legs, and tail, BUT
>he's lost all hair, but the guard hairs, straight down the middle of
>his back!  It's like just the downy hair around his backbone fell out!
>His skin is a little dry and he's itchy, but I've been putting creamy
>stuff on his for that.  Otherwise he's normal...
 
Hi Aileen
 
More than likely, Gizmo has adrenal gland disease, or hyperadrenocorticism.
The symmetrical, bilateral hairloss (a reverse mohawk, so to speak) along
with dry and itchy skin, is classic with adrenal disease.  A ferret
friendly vet can usually diagnose those symptomatically, but you can also
have a test run (called a Tennessee Panel) to determine the adrenal
diagnosis.
 
Surgery, IMO, is your first best option, unless the vet feels that Gizmo is
not a good surgical candidate (based on how well controlled his insulinoma
is, for instance).  Then you can look at alternatives to surgery, like
lysodren or lupron.  There is a wonderful mailing list, the FAIML,
moderated by Lynn McIntosh, that is specifically for ferrets with adrenal
problems or insulinoma - the email address to subscribe is:
[log in to unmask]
 
Good luck to you and Gizmo!
 
Lisa, Head Ferret
The Ferret Haven "By-the-Sea"
URL: http://www.kozykingdom.com/ferrethaven
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[Posted in FML issue 2582]