Sometimes a fat abdomen or some hanging from the abdomen is part of the
signs of adrenal disease, sometimes of too little exercise, sometimes of
advancing age like when 6 or older (even a very muscular 6 year old who
regularly climbs 8' in the closet while carrying the TV remote can
sometimes have some hanging) but your ferret is in the prime of life.  It
could pay to read up on these things and look for any related symptoms.
 
If the large abdomen is or may be fluid then the most common cause
for that in ferrets is cardiomyopathy.  We always respond to such
water-balloon bellies (ditto to coughing or trouble breathing) with a
chest x-ray and usually with an ultrasound of the chest.  BTW, it is
not unusual to not be able to tell there is cardiomyopathy from listening
to the chest and it can be hard to spot it on x-rays if it is early in
the most common form (dilated) or if it is the less common form
(hypertrophic), plus ultrasounds give the details needed to design the
best approach for the individual.  If nothing is found then an abdominal
ultrasound is done, all while we are waiting for results from a CBC with
Blood Chemistry.  We never mess around with ascites; but try to find the
cause ASAP.  Other possible causes of ascites include (but are not
limited to) kidney disease, lymphoma, and liver disease.
 
Once the cause is known then the correct approach for the best giving of
more quality and quantity of life can be designed for the given
individual.
 
(As usual -- repeated ad nauseum -- I am not a vet.)
 
Sukie
Health, behavior, and longevity first when adding ferrets who aren't
adoptees; appearance is always less important for someone you love.
When adopting go ahead and help that needy one if you and the
resources available to you (vets, money, time, etc.) are up to it.
(If not, no one should add more than he or she can care for properly
or the situation may sink into a dangerous morass.)
Health Resources:
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/
http://www.ferretcongress.org (Be sure to see the Critical References
section when looking there.)
Don't forget the FML Archives; the address is in the header of each issue.
[Posted in FML issue 4080]