Wendy and the clan: >hair loss that started last winter then grew back. Now the hair loss is back and getting worse. >The patient (silk) is 7 and 1/2 yrs old and may have kidney problems (urinating a lot) >When are ferrets to old for adrenal tumor surgery? The hair loss pattern and history of it growing back last season is consistant with an adrenal tumor. Adrenal gland tumors can also cause the spleen to enlarge. The enlarged spleen usually dosn't cause a problem unless it is caused by something worse (lymphosarcoma). Very rarely does the spleen get so large (even though the cause is benign) that it puts pressure on the other organs and causes tth ferret to feel ill. We can determine if the splenic enlargement is caused by cancer with a fine needle aspirate (this is as easy as drawing blood. As far as increased thirst and/or increased urination there are several thingsthat can cause this (kidney infection, kidney failure, liver failure/cancer, diabetes). We can usually determine the cause with the help of some tests ( urinalysis and a blood test). Lastly (the hardest question to answer) when is a ferret to old/sick to do surgery for an adrenal tumor. This answer will vary from vet to vet depending upon the particular doctors experiences and the skil of the surgeon. There is no set answer for this, it really depends upn the physical exam and health of the patient. If the patient has been diagnosed with kidney failure, he/she will probably get sick form the kidneys before the adrenal tumors cause that ferret discomfort. Also with lymphosarcoma depending on the stage I wold probably not recommend surgery. But remember adrenal tumors can be malignant and if not removed can spread; and a fair number of ferrets with adrenal tumors also have pancreatic tumors (but they may not have symptoms of this yet) and the treatment for these are removal of the pancreatic tumors at the same time we remove the adrenal tumors. With the anesthetics we have these days (namely isoflurane) surgery is pretty safe so I feel most ferrets under 8 are good surgical candidates unless they have a serious illness. This is my opinion and although this question does not have one simple answer, I hope this helps. The bottom line is it depends on the condition and bloodwork of each individual case. Dr. Weiss c [log in to unmask] 301-299-4142 [Posted in FML issue 1051]