Hi FML'ers,
 
The Richmond Ferret Rescue League would like to wish everyone a very, merry
Christmas and we hope that everyone has a wonderful, safe, ferret-filled
holiday!  We've been blessed with only a few illnesses and have had great
luck in placing 18 ferrets in the past two months.  I have a question
concerning adrenal/bladder stones:
 
We took in a 2+ year old MF boy two years ago.  He had had adrenal surgery,
with a tumor removed from the left side.  The vet who performed the surgery
told the owners that there was also a tumor present on the right side, but
that she couldn't get it.  Supposedly, the path report came back that the
tumor was malignant.  The owners wanted to put "Wild Thing" to sleep so
their childern would not have to witness Wild Thing becoming ill and dying.
He had lost all of his coat and it didn't look like it was going to grow
back.  We took him in immediately.  After a few weeks I noticed a shadow
of fuzz on his pathetic body, after which he grew a wonderful coat, gained
weigh and fit right in with the other ferrets.  2 years later, he began
to lose hair again; he became aggressive, then he had a blocked urinary
problem.  We cleared up his urinary blockage- We figured he was going
downhill from the adrenal problem.  4 weeks ago, I noticed another dark
shadow over his naked, pink hide.  He's grown his coat back
again-completely.
 
Last week he blocked again.  After 12 hours (he spent the day at the vet's
where he catheterized him again) Wild Thing passed a stone!!!  The path
came back that it's the same kind of stone that is common in cats-
Magnesium Ammonium Phosphate.  Has anyone had experience with ferrets
with stones?  We've begun treating 1 of our other ferrets with Lupron for
adrenal problems, but our vet feels like it's not the adrenal that causing
the stones in Wild Thing- we're working on changing his diet, instead.  Let
me know what you think.
 
Merry Christmas, Ferret Lovers!
Come see us at PetSmart by Chesterfield Towncenter on Saturdays!
 
Marlene & Jammy Blackburn
Richmond Ferret Rescue League
Richmond, VA
[Posted in FML issue 2903]