To Charlene concerning 11-year-old granny ferret:
 
        Charlene - my wife and I have been in your position several times now,
adopting aged ferrets to give them a good home in which to spend their remaining
days...
 
        The first thing they need is a lot of love and affection.  This will
lengthen their lifespan more than any type of medicine that you can prescribe.
(And me, a doctor....)
 
        I wouldn't sweat the hair loss on the tail at the moment....it doesn't
point to adrenal disease if it is totally restricted to the tail.  Most aged
ferrets have dry, brittle coats with patchy hair loss over the tail in the
absence of adrenal lesions. Practically, even if she did have an adrenal lesion,
I would be very hesitant to do surgery at her age.
 
        It would be expected that an 11-year-old ferret would have decreased
renal function.  If she won't eat k/d, which may be a bit on the low side as far
as protein, I would suggest a switch to an adult maintence cat food.  All you
are trying to do is decrease protein levels 3-4%.
 
       Bruce Williams, DVM                 Department of Veterinary Pathology
       [log in to unmask]         Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
       (202) 782-2600/2602                 Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
[Posted in FML issue 1073]