hullo all, Well, my ferrets are now two for two in the adrenal department-- Amelia was just diagnosed via ultrasound with an enlarged adrenal (I'm dyslexic so I can't remember whether it was the left or right but it was definitely the more easily operable one). I thought I would share how I came to bring her to the vet, in case it can help others. A couple of days before Christmas, I noticed thinning hair on Amelia's hindquarters, and she was scratching the area a lot. Earlier this fall she'd lost most of her tail fur to blackheads, and it grew back rather sparsely, so I've been keeping a close eye on her fur. It took me a couple of days to come to terms with what the thinning fur meant, then I made an appointment for her at the vet. We had the ultrasound done, confirming the adrenal tumor, everything else looks normal, she's a very healthy five year old, so we're going to schedule surgery as soon as we can. The interesting thing, and the observation I wanted to share, is that now, just a little over a week later, Amelia's growing back in most of the hair. If I had been in a bigger state of denial, I could easily have convinced myself that it was some random skin irritation that was taking care of itself, and not taken her to the vet. Lesson learned: it's much better to face your fears for your ferret squarely, and get it taken care of right away-- if you're lucky it was a false alarm and you have peace of mind, if not, then you can get prompt medical attention to the ferret. I did not want to know that she has adrenal, but knowing about it and getting it taken care of is infinitely preferable to not knowing. Another lesson learned: just because your ferrets are a few years apart in age does not necessarily mean that you won't have high medical costs for both of them within the space of a few months :-\ I just finished paying for Cully's August surgery. And that's just the money part of it-- I still haven't really emotionally come to terms with Cully's health, and now there's Amelia with adrenal too. But for now, Cully's still chugging along (he's got insulinoma and lymphoma, and is on pred), and Amelia is a strong big girl, and I'm very happy for every day I have with them. Regina Regina Harrison [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask] http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/1083 Electra the Brujah's page: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Labyrinth/8096 Wrapped in my mongrel wings, I nearly freeze In the howlin wind and drivin rain All the trash blowin round 'n' round [Posted in FML issue 2917]