Hi, I hope someone can answer my questions.  I have three ferrets and my
oldest girl, Casey (four years old), has recently developed a swollen
vulva.  Otherwise she is absolutely happy and healthy.  It's oozing a
little and I'm pretty sure it's adrenal but I will take her to the vet.
She is MF, of course.
 
My question is, if it's an adrenal problem, does she absolutely have to
have surgery right away?  I love her so much that I don't want to risk a
possible complication unless it is necessary for her own happiness and
health.  If she is suffering from this, I will probably go ahead and have
the surgery, but if she can live with it, then I don't want to do it.
 
My other ferret, LouLou, seems fine, except she has recently gotten really
scraggly looking - her fur is short and uneven.  I feed them Iams Kitten.
She doesn't have any bald spots but, oddly enough, Casey looked like this
a few months ago and then her fur filled in and then all of a sudden her
vulva was swollen.  So now I'm worried that LouLou is going to have the
same problem.
 
I'm so upset about this.  I really thought that adrenal was a rare thing
but now it seems like 50% of all MF ferrets get it.  I love my ferrets so
much but I can't afford to spend $600/ferret or more for surgery.  I CAN
afford it, but I just don't like the idea of owning pets that invariably
get expensive medical problems.  But I can't imagine living without these
ferrets of mine, either.  This really bothers me.
 
Please tell me what you think about the surgery.
 
Thanks.
 
Adrienne
[Posted in FML issue 2966]