Adrenal possible

Question
Good morning,

I have a ferret she approximately 7 years old to best estimates.  I'm not positive as I rescued her about two months ago from a bad home.  She has insolinoma and is on Prednisolone twice a day (3mg/mL suspension with a dosage of .15 mL).  She also gets a pepsid suspension as well a mix of 10 mg/10mL the dosage is .25 mL twice a day.  The ferret's name is Sato.  She is eating ok. My worry is her fur.  When I got her she had almost no under coat (the shorter hair to keep them warm and such) Now she has it all back except for a couple patches on her neck and a huge patch (given her size) on her back, there is also a ring of no fur at all (guard or under coat) around the base of tail near her butt.  When I first got her I had her tested for adrenal via the T-panel it came back negative.  I have since learned that was a waste of money. I think that she is almost definately adrenal, but my vet says that the Prednisolone will cause fur loss.  I've done research on my own I doubt this is true.  Have you ever heard of this?  If you doubt it's adrenal, what else could it be?  I've thought poor nutrition but she is being fed Chewy and Stella's cat food (it's a freeze dry raw diet if you would like to see ingredients let me know and I can send a picture) I have two other ferrets that she is kept separate from during the day who are doing just fine so I doubt it's the diet.  I personally think it's adrenal disease, but my vet disagrees. I'm hoping to find something that either helps my case or points to something else.  

Thank you for your time,
Brent

Answer
Hi Brent:

Sorry to hear Sato is having so many problems.  I went to the Stella & Chewy's website and saw the ingredients which look fantastic on paper. My only concern is whether or not the actual kibble pieces are crunchy like regular kibble or if they are more the consistency of other freeze dried items I have seen that would not turn to crumbs if say you step on a piece.  The reason I ask is that ferrets digestive system is just too short to properly break down and digest things like pig ears, rawhide bones, etc.  So, as long as it crumbles when crunched, it looks like a very very good food. If it does not, I definitely would not feed it to a ferret.

That being said, lets talk about your questions. You are very right, the Tennessee Panel is right less than 40% of the time, so unfortunately it was probably a waste of money. The symptoms you describe her initially having of no undercoat may have been malnutriyion and adrenal, which you have partially helped with good nutrition.  I believe that your assessment of Sato having adrenal disease is most likely accurate. Is her vulva swollen at all? That is another symptom female ferrets can get with adrenal.  The kinda mixed up pattern of fur loss in patches is actually common, but almost always shows worst at the base of the tail.  So, again, I think your own diagnosis is spot on.  

She is probably also itchy. You may be able to keep her more comfortable by bathing, then gently rubbing olive oil into the bare itchy patches. Often they will scratch till there is broken skin that can become infected. Also, ferrets with adrenal tend to have a stronger more pungent odor than a healthy ferret. I bathed mine in warm water at least weekly (remember their normal body temp is 103-degrees, so bathe her in nice water) water using Johnsons & Johnsons baby shampoo (in the baby aisle of grocery or pharmacy) because it is pH balanced and will not further dry out her skin.  You might want to give her about a tablespoon a week of Linatone, fed from the palm of your hand 3-4 times a week with the total given per week about a tablespoon.  OR you can use Ferretone, again no more than a tablespoon weekly...best is to mix 1/2 with olive oil whichever one you use, in which case you can give two tablespoons...she gets the extra oils without too many vitamins which could make her sick.  Her skin needs the extra oils, but there is some danger of vitamin overdose if given undiluted.

You seem to be a very well informed ferret owner and Sato is in good hands.  Is there a reason the ferrets are not all housed together?  Ferrets are so social, it is always best when they can be together if at all possible. That would greatly enhance her life quality. Nothing she has is contagious to the other ferrets.

If you can get your vet to agree to it, you can have Sato get Lupron Depot shots every three months. They are given into the muscle of the hip and although a little painful for about 30-seconds, they greatly relieve most sympoms of adrenal for up o three months at a time. I used them on a few of my ferrets. I found the cheapest way to do it is to get a written prescription and send it ORjust have it called in by the vet to a pet pharmacy (compare prices online). And tell him where to call it in to. You pay by credit card to the pharmacy after they receive the vets order.  They send the vial of Lupron Depot to you, then you take it to your vet and get charged only for giving an injection.  I found if the vet office orders it to their office, they double the price when administered. But if you pay the pharnacy the actual price, you avoid that cost and its not all that expensive if done that way. Otherwise the Lupron Depot injections can really be expensive.

Also, I have tried the lower dose once-monthly Lupron injections and there was no comparison in effectiveness compared to the three month shot, so be sure to get the three month Depot shot. Hope that helps you.  If your vet won't agree to the adrenal disease diagnosis, I would definitely seek an exotics specialist, as your vet may not be as informed as he should be.  Adrenal disease is about 99% diagnoseable by symptoms, which your ferret has as far as I can tell.

At age 7, she is not really a good surgical candidate, so I would strongly recommend trying the Lupron Depot injections and see if it doesn't resolve her symptoms within just a few weeks after the initial injection.

Best of luck to you and to her.  Feel free to write any time. I would love an update.  Also, I would like to invite you to join my Facebook group called THUNDERING FERRET PAWS.  We have about 200 members, owners, breeders, rescue folks and a vet or two.  You would find lots of input and suggestions others have learned as they battle these same two diseases, insulinoma and adrenal.  Its so much easier to learn from others experiences and more input is always helpful in any devision making.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers