A medical question here.  One of our rescues has had some excessive
callousing on her pads (not growths in the sense of tumors, but her pads are
just overgrown with callouses or scar tissue - keratosis, I think its
called????).  Most of our ferrets' have some mild cracking/hardening of
their pads over the dry winter months, and I just try to use vaseline or a
moisturizing lotion they won't lick off, and let it go.  But this ferret is
really excessive.  When I took her to the vet, he said that this was
sometimes a sign of distemper?!  He didn't seem to think this was real
likely in this case, but agreed that the "callousing" was outside the range
of normal.  Now, this *is* a rescue, so I really don't know past history,
but I have vet records saying she received a vaccination last year (before
that, she was in yet a different household, and I don't have any idea what
her medical history is like).  Any ideas on what I could be dealing with
here?  Is there anything I should be doing and probably aren't?
 
Basic history: The ferret is supposedly 2.5 (but the prior owners thought
she was a male, and she's been through a lot of homes, so all I really know
is that she's probably at least this old.  Canines are definately yellowing,
so maybe older?); she's not MF, but I've had her long enough to know if she
had not been spayed (& I think she's been descented, too).  She had colitis
for awhile, but that's cleared up.  I haven't gotten her to use a litter box
yet, since she likes lapping up her urine (and thus going on the
non-absorbing linoleum is inheritantly rewarding), so I doubt her feet are
bothered by the litter I'm using.  I don't use that much in the way of
chemicals on the floor, so I doubt allergies to cleaners are an issue,
either, but it's possible.  Another ferret came from the same home, and has
no problems with her paws at all, for whatever thats worth.  I don't know
any other prior medical history, I'm afraid.
 
Any advice would be appreciated!
 
-rochelle
[Posted in FML issue 1542]