With all of the questions about hair loss, should a section be added to the
ferret faq that addresses this issue directly?  I know that I would
appreciate the information as I am presently fighting with this problem
with three of our ferrets.
 
Twinkie has pronounced hair loss that stops about an in from the base of
his tail.  His tail is not completely bald but has scattered clumps of fur.
He has black heads which scrape off rather easily (don't seem to go too
deep).  His coat was rather dry o begin with so we have been giving him
ferretone and treating his tail with a cleanser.  Now while the rest of his
coat has greatly improved in condition, his tail still has black heads and
very little hair.  Treatment has been going on for about 6 weeks.  The vet
thinks that with continued treatment his tail will get better but thought
that some hair regrowth would have been seen by now.
 
Recently, Pickle has begun losing hair in a small patch near the tip of his
tail on the underside.  No black heads and no real noticeable red wax.
 
Kit Kat's tail has just thinned noticeably all over.
 
As you can see, three different patterns of hair loss.  I assume Kat's loss
is due just to normal shedding and Twinkie's due to the black heads, but
Pickle's is a pure mystery.  Does anyone have any information on how long
it takes to clear up Twinkie's black heads and when after they clear up I
should expect any hair growth?  Sometimes I think hair is growing back, but
it could just be short hairs due to breakage.
 
I am sure I am not the only one with these questions.  With all of the
concern (justifiable) about adrenal tumors, it would be great to have some
help discerning between hair loss due to adrenal problems and hair loss due
to other factors.
 
All of our ferrets are two years old or less and got clean bills of health
on their vet visits in July and all hair loss is located only on their
tails.
 
Any insight into this issue would be greatly appreciated.
 
Heather, Pickle, Kit Kat, Twinkie, and Pretzel (who still has his soft baby
coat and is experiencing no problems.)
[Posted in FML issue 1266]