>A few months ago, my Rocky lost some fur on his tail, mostly on the top
>and has blackheads.  How do you know whether this is adrenal, since he
>has no other adrenal symptoms?  If it is not adrenal, how long does it
>take for the fur to regrow?
>
>I plan to make an appt to see my vet, whom I'm spoken to about this when
>the fur first fell out.  He said I should come back in winter if it
>doesn't grow back and he will do the Tenn.  blood test and ultrasound.
>Which of these is more accurate?
 
My first ferret to go adrenal, Ariel, was dx'd through an ultrasound, &
accurately so.  Next was Max, who was dx's via the Tenn Panel.  Ariel
then had her right adrenal go bad, & is now on Lupron.  This last time,
it was dx'd w/ the Tenn Panel.
 
My thoughts would be, it depends on the experience w/ the vet in reading
ultrasounds, & what the clinic's policy is on doing so.  And, if you're
not sure about your vet's experience level w/ doing the surgery, ask him
to refer you to someone else - someone *he* would feel comfortable
operating on one of his ferrets.  Any decent vet (like any decent people
dr) will not be offended by your seeking a 2nd opinion.
 
Lin, Ariel, Oberon, Max, & Puck
To email me back, take out everything from "K" to "2"
[Posted in FML issue 5114]