Ferret with swollen vulva

Question
Hello Eilee. My beautiful ferret Eloise is about 3 1/2 yrs old. I found her about 3 years ago. It seemed she had fallen out of a window and was lying on the grass dehydrated and disoriented. I nursed her back to health and was going to give her to a ferret rescue who would put her up for adoption but I fell in love with her. Eloise lives with a dog and a guinea pig in an apartment. She runs around a few hours a day and sleeps in a two story cage in her hammock. Her diet consists of EVO ferret food, a little peanut butter, and some treats by Marshalls. I was told Eloise is a Marshall ferret b/c of the tatoo on her ear. Last week I noticed that her vulva was swollen. THe vet said he didn't feel any tumors and gave her antibiotic (animax) in case she has a UTI. It has been about 5 days and no change. Just now I noticed that the fur on the very tip of her tail is beginning to thin. Otherwise Eloise is VERY active, eating and drinking well, and doing her little happy dances all over the house. Could this be adrenal disease? Please let me know what the surgery entails and what the survival rates are. I could not bare to lose her. I lover her so much. Thank You.

Answer
Hello Lisa,

Unfortunately, in my experience, a swollen vulva is usually indicative of adrenal disease which is a form of cancer where tumors will grow on the adrenal glands, overproducing hormones and causing all kinds of issues with the ferret. Another sign is hair loss, but it usually happens at the base of the tail where it meets the body, rather than at the tip. If I were you, I might look into getting a second opinion, just because that is what it is usually indicative of.

As far as more information goes, here is a helpful link:

http://www.ferret-universe.com/health/adrenal.asp

I hope this helps and if you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews