Hello listers,

Our little 2 1/2 year old Zorro has atypical hair loss that IS
confirmed adrenal disease according to the Tennessee panel. His
last coat change was incomplete--not all his fur came back.

He lost his beautiful glossy sable bib with the white star "badge."

He got a little bald spot on the top of his head, between his ears,
for that endearing "Brother Cadfael" look.

The TIP of his tail got naked, like a little possum. . .and last but
not least, he lost the underfur between his shoulder blades. You can
see his little pink skin under the remaining guard hairs, looking for
all the world like a little old geezer with a "comb-over."

His derriere and the lower half of his tail, where it connects to his
rump, look just fine (unlike when our Monty Ferret had HIS adrenal
diesease)

So far, Zorro acts fine--he seems to be his usual goofy, sunny,
loveable little self, although day by day he looks more and more like
a little bald eaglet.

One of the lab tests (he's had 3 blood draws so far) came back with
low blood sugar, so he goes in for one more test to see if he has
insulinoma.

I worry because I hear now the expert trend is to give Lupron Depot
every month forever, instead of surgery. This concerns me because
while we give the Lupron, won't his tumors keep on growing?

I'd prefer that he had surgery now-he's young and strong--and then
if/when the problem recurred, THEN put him on the Lupron shots. I
realize that I may be stirring up a can of worms here--and maybe making
enemies--and I regret that, but please understand that I'm thinking
about what I would want, if I happened to be a ferret. That's really
the reason why.

If one human year is roughly ten ferret years--if I were twenty-five,
I'd want surgery. If I were fifty, I might want Lupron instead.

(I hear they don't do surgery for insulinoma any more, either--they
give diaxoide and prednisone, instead, "because the tumors always come
back so surgery is futile." Again--if you were twenty-five years old
and could live till sixty or seventy with surgery, or till forty or
fifty with drugs, which would you personally choose for your own self?)

Anyway--please wish our little guy well, as we start down the "long and
rocky road" of ferret medical issues. He's just the greatest little
fellow there ever was, and everyone who meets him falls in love with
him. All the clinic staff marvel at "how good he is!" and so he is!

Anyway--back to the beginning--not all adrenal hair loss fits the
typical pattern. Zozobean can attest to that!

Hug your fuzzbeans and love them while you have 'em close,

Kate, the Zorillito, and HRH Princess Michaela "Mickey" Bean

and

"May all your ferret tales end 'happily ever after.'"

[Posted in FML 6082]