Hello, this is my first time posting, yet I read faithfully.  I recently
had a ferret pass away unexpectedly and I wanted to share the symptoms
to see if anyone else out there has encountered the same thing and has
any info for me.
 
Gandolf (Sweet Pea) was less than 1 yr old.  I purchased him from a pet
store.  In May I noticed that he seemed sluggish and did not play with
the others as he always did.  He also seemed to be losing weight.  He was
running a fever and also was very itchy, way more than the usual ferret
itch.  He was consumed by itching and scratching at himself, all over.
I thought he may have insulinoma and we went to the vet right away.
Well, his blood sugar was fine, yet he had quickly become lethargic, very
bony and his eyes appeard to be bulging.  We (the vet and I) did not
understand what could be wrong, he was so young and had been very healthy
up until I noticed his changed behavior.  I of course kept researching to
figure out what was wrong because clearly something was.  I called the
vet and told him that he my have an adrenal tumor.  We did an ultra sound
right away and sure enough, there was a fairly large tumor on the left
adrenal gland.  Surgery was scheduled a week later and I was so very
happy to know that we were going to make my precious Sweet Pea better.
Surgery came and went and he seemed a little perkier, but continued to
lose more weight and his eyes seemed to bulge even more, there was still
something wrong.  He continued to eat and drink very well, especially the
drinking part.  I noticed that I was constantly filling his water.  Well,
needless to say, the day I was to have his staples removed (about a week
after surgery), he passed away.  I of course was extrememly heart broken
and cried for several days, as he passed while I was out of town on
business.  Luckily my husband took care of everything before I got home.
 
I am very perplexed as to what happned, what did the vet and I not know
about.  I know that I did everything I could and I watch all of my
furbabies closely for changes.  The vet thought that the tumor had been
growing for at least a couple of months, but He was not sure what else
could have been causing the other symptoms.  He did not have the obvious
hair loss either.  It was all very very strange.  If anyone else has any
thoughts or info as to what could have happened, I would love to know.
Thank you!
 
Desiree and her clan of 8: Scratch-a-doo, Houdini, Bear, Polar, Chewy,
Bon Bon, Grizz, and Spike.
[Posted in FML issue 4221]