This is a reply for David Morgenlender who sought advice on treating possible adrenal disease. Last year, our then 5-year female ferret exhibited the hair loss pattern symptom of adrenal disease (no enlarged vulva, either). The first vet we went to, our regular vet for shots and checkups, told as adrenal disease was highly likely, but that the blood test and ultrasound are needed for a definitive diagnosis. I don't think hearing this from your vet indicates a problem. It does appear that those two tests are the only two diagnostic tests that can confirm the presence of adrenal disease without surgery to actually go in and look. The cost of the tests was about $300. The cost of the surgery itself: almost $900. Keep in mind that we're in California, and based on the vet stories I've heard, I suspect some amount of price gouging is going on when it comes to vets treating ferrets, if for no other reason than that many vets classify ferrets as "exotics", with extra-high fees. So I called around a bit to other ferret owners and local groups and found a vet a 2-hour drive from me who had an excellent reputation, lots of experience with ferrets and charged $80 for the surgery. I took our sick ferret in for an exam and he told me his recommendation is to do the surgery right then, since he could feel the enlarged adrenal gland (left one) with just a physical exam. So I agreed. Everything went fine, he removed the adrenal gland without shedding more than a few drops of blood and it took about half an hour. He showed me the enlarged gland he removed and it was the size of the tip of my little finger, when it's usually a lot smaller than that. Our ferret recovered without complications and now at age 6 is in excellent health for her age. In fact, she still thinks she's a kit. I've recommended the vet to every ferret owner I know. So, in summary, if you want to have the diagnostic tests done, it can't hurt. But remember that if your ferret actually does have an enlarged adrenal gland, she'll only get sicker without treatment while you wait for confirmation. So if you do have a competent vet who recommends surgery, I'd say go for it. One word about recovery from hair loss: I thought our ferret would just grow back the fur on the patches that had gone bald. However, I found out that's not the way it works. Within 10 days of the surgery, she shed her entire old coat in about 48 hours, and for a week or two she looked like a ferret with a full-body crew cut, as the new coat's short stubble grew longer into a full, shiny healthy looking coat of fur. During that 2-day shedding period, she was itching so badly that I finally took her outside, sat her down in my lap and gently combed and pulled out the tufts of old hair as much as I could. I swear she actually ENJOYED that! [LC] [Posted in FML issue 3471]