I can't believe this is happening again. Two years ago, Rikki, our first ferret was diagnosed with adrenal disease. After a year of surgery, medication, and no lack of effort by our vet, she passed away. Our second ferret, Nikita is 5 years old. About 2 weeks ago I noticed that her vulva was slightly larger than normal. I had noticed her hair thinning all over her body, but assumed it was just the normal summer time shed. Well, last night I notice that the hair loss seems more prevalent around the base of her tail, and her vulva is a little larger than it was before. Her symptons are slightly different than Rikki, for example Rikki lost her hair at a much faster rate, and her vulva was much larger. My question , is there an accurate way to test adrenal disease? Can a vet tell if she has tumors on only one or both glands? What is the ferret's life expectancy if adrenal disease goes untreated? Do drugs used for adrenal illness work better when used early on? I am seriously considering not putting Nikita through adrenal surgery. After what Rikki had to endure during her last year of life, she ended up dying after her third Surgery. I have had a real hard time learning to live with her death. Not only that, but Nikita is so tiny, she has always weighed right around a pound. I don't know if such a tiny little thing will survive adrenal surgery. If anyone asked my advice about adrenal surgery, I would tell them to get the surgery, immediatly. As a matter of fact, If I was reading this post from anyone else, I would tell them to please reconsider, Nikita deserves the chance at a longer life. But please understand that the idea of leaving her at the Vet for this surgery Terrifies me. If I new beyond a shadow of a doubt that the surgery would prolong her life, and she would never need to go under the knife again, I would probably change my mind. I would like to here from people who have had success with this surgery, as well as anyone who chose not to do the surgery. If you are a vet, can you give me any information on the life expectancy of a ferret after it has been diagnosed with adrenal disease? Thanks Adrienne [Posted in FML issue 1675]