After sheltering for a number of years, and too many adrenal surgeries to
count, I've notices some very subtle signs that serve as a red flag that
adrenal disease is either present, or developing.
 
Some of the early warning signs of Adrenal disease that I have noticed
have been any one or more of the following:
 
Yellow in their coat, sometimes all over, but often 'spots' on their
cheeks where the scent glands are, a 'stripe' of yellowed hair going up
their back, or yellow in their tail.
 
Coat gets oilier, and you might even feel the slick residue on your
hands after holding them.  It reminds me of silicone.
 
Thinning hair on the tail.  If you spread the hairs apart so you can see
the skin, there may be yellow or brown dandruff-like particles present
(it will look 'dirty').
 
Blackheads on the tail, or rat tail.  I have found ALL ferrets with
tail problems resolve following adrenal surgery, unless both glands
are affected, and it takes a second surgery.  (think of an adolescent;
hormones=acne and oily skin)
 
Their urine may take on a stronger, more hormonal smell.  There should be
little odor to a young healthy ferret's urine.  As they age, and those
adrenal glands get diseased, the hormones being produced are passed in
the urine.  Their urine begins to smell like that of a whole hob.  This
is often one of the first signs that tips me off the ferret has a bad
gland.
 
Agression that is not normal for that particular ferret's personality.
Wanting to grab the neck and drag, or hold in a mating position.
 
Hairloss on the 'ankles' or tops of the toes -front or back.
 
Mild thinning of the undercoat, that isn't noticable unless you part the
hair at the base of the tail and compare it to other places on their
body.  You may also see yellow or orange dandruff-like stuff on their
skin (tail, back and flanks).  You can also, sometimes, see red spots.
 
Excessive grooming or starting biting behaviors that aren't typical
for that particular ferret.  Biting or chewing the ears of a cagemate.
Grabbing the neck of a cagemete and holding them down.
 
Mothering of toys or other ferrets.
 
Change of body odor, or unusual odor.  I had one that smelled like burned
coffee.  Others smell hormonal, like a whole animal.  Still others just
have a strong odor that isn't warm and musky like a normal ferret smell.
 
Hair getting shorter or the coat less dense over the shoulders or the top
of the head.  We have found adrenal glands that present with these signs
usually are fast growing and have a highly developed blood supply.
 
Hair thinning on their tummies, and sometimes one or more nipple will be
enlarged.  You should not be able to see the nipples on a (non-nursing)
ferret with a healthy coat -without parting the hair to look for them.
 
Weight gain or loss with any of the other signs, and I sometimes see
diarrhea or change of potty habits with adrenal disease that clears up
after surgery.
 
Some just become lethargic, looking for a place to sleep early into
playtime.
 
Any hairloss, even if it grows back, is probably adrenal.  We had one
that lost 'strips' of fur, which turned out to be adrenal didease.
 
The only sign on one male was small puddles of urine, quarter sized.  He
had an enlarged prostate, which was his first and only sign.  You may see
them running from one litterbox to another, or jumping in and out of the
box 3-4 times, since they don't get the job done the first time.
 
If you do surgery, and do not find an enlarged gland, it does not mean
there isn't a bad gland.  We had 2 that we opened and could not find any
adrenal glands, but both responded to Lupron within 3 weeks of the shot.
Even tiny, normal 'appearing' glands can be causing troubles.  One of
the above girls was well on her way to naked!
 
Even a slightly enlarged vulva is an indication of adrenal abnormality.
By the time one of our girls actually had vulvar enlargement larger than
the tip of a grain of rice, the tumor was inoperable.  Not the norm, but
a possiblility.  That was her only sign.  She lived for about 2 months
after that.
 
One last thing, every ferret that comes into my shelter that has tail
problems gets surgery.  It always fixes the problem.  Acne meds may be a
bandaid for a while, but, in my opinion, where there is smoke, there is
fire.  It is just a matter of time before it will advance to where other
signs are noticable.  If you want to catch it early, these are some of
the subtle signs I've picked up on.  They youngest I've detected it was
seven months of age by a slightly swollen vulva and eight months of age
in a female by her thin hair coat... by one year of age, I could smell it
in their urine.
 
We use surgery, Ferretonin implants and Lupron to control adrenal
disease.  Some cases advance very fast while other ferrets can show signs
for a long time before the disease takes them.
 
Julie
[Posted in FML issue 5216]