My male ferret (approximately 2 1/2 years old) has an irritation around the
hole where he urinates.  The irritation appears to be only on the outside of
the hole and not down inside.  (It is red and occasionally has slight
swelling).  The skin appears raw (like he may have licked himself or
something, but he hasn't been licking himself from what we can tell).  And
he appears to be urinating ok.  This irritation happens off and on and seems
to go away after a couple of days and then returns a short time later.  I
took him to the vet who confirmed that irritation appeared to only be on the
outside around the hole and suggested I put mitriacin/neosporin (antibiotic
cream) on it to see if it goes away.  I have been doing this and sometimes
it clears up quickly (but returns with a few days) and other times it takes
a few days to clear it up.  It only appears to stay clear for a day or two
then returns.  The vet said to watch to see if he was rubbing on anything or
dragging himself over anything that might be causing it to become
raw/irritated.  As far as we can tell there is nothing that could be doing
this.
 
I was just wondering if anyone has experienced this or has any suggestions
as to what the problem might be.
 
Responses from everyone are welcome!
Thanks,
Deana
[Posted in FML issue 1807]