To Charlene concerning 11-year-old granny ferret: Charlene - my wife and I have been in your position several times now, adopting aged ferrets to give them a good home in which to spend their remaining days... The first thing they need is a lot of love and affection. This will lengthen their lifespan more than any type of medicine that you can prescribe. (And me, a doctor....) I wouldn't sweat the hair loss on the tail at the moment....it doesn't point to adrenal disease if it is totally restricted to the tail. Most aged ferrets have dry, brittle coats with patchy hair loss over the tail in the absence of adrenal lesions. Practically, even if she did have an adrenal lesion, I would be very hesitant to do surgery at her age. It would be expected that an 11-year-old ferret would have decreased renal function. If she won't eat k/d, which may be a bit on the low side as far as protein, I would suggest a switch to an adult maintence cat food. All you are trying to do is decrease protein levels 3-4%. Bruce Williams, DVM Department of Veterinary Pathology [log in to unmask] Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (202) 782-2600/2602 Washington, D.C. 20306-6000 [Posted in FML issue 1073]