Ferret Bald spot

Question
i adopted a ferret last year wonderful little girl she is, just latley ive noticed shes got a bald spot between her shoulder blades, ive read up on adreanal disease n am fearing the worst,is there anything else that could make her bald ? poor food diet or stress anything like that ? and do you know anything about the surgery for the adreanal glands such as price ranges and if its nto treated will she just die or will she suffer or i just want to make the right choice and im not made of money so i need to start saven if i have to get surgery thank u shes almost 3 years old spayed and descented thank u hope to hear from u soon!

Answer
Hello Chelsey,

Is there any other places of hair loss?  Have you noticed any fleas on your pets?  Is she itching or scratching?  There can be many reasons for hair loss including adrenal disease, flea allergy or environmental factors.

The most common cause of a hair loss pattern is adrenal disease.  One of the major symptoms is hair loss or thinning that begins on the tail and/or back and works its way up toward the shoulders.  Some other symptoms include a swelling of the vulva in some females (false heat), thinning of the skin, a dry or brittle pelt, aggression, weight loss and sometimes lethargy or aggressiveness.  Even ferrets with this disease do not have to show all of these symptoms.  

Adrenal disease is 100% fatal IF untreated.  The best method is surgery to remove the affected gland(s) and this should cure her.  In a young ferret, this will likely be the best option.  In older ferrets, or those that cannot go through surgery, there are medications (Lysodren, Lupron, melotion injections, etc) that can help slow the progression of the disease.  This will NOT stop it.  Only surgery can cure adrenal disease.  Remember that if money is an issue, the cost of medication/vet checks will quickly surpass the amount of a surgery in less than a year.

Some info on adrenal disease:

http://www.ferretcentral.org/faq/med/adrenal.html
http://www.ferret-universe.com/health/adrenal.asp
http://www.cypresskeep.com/Ferretfiles/Adrenal.htm    

It is difficult to say if the hair loss is due to adrenal disease or not, but it IS the most common reason.  Check her body over very carefully for any signs of another cause.  Do you notice any flea dirt?  Fleas or mites can go unnoticed by even attentive owners and can cause itching that can thin the fur.  Your vet could do a quick skin-scrape for mites and check her over for any other parasites. Fleas can not only cause itching and fur loss but carry other parasites such as tapeworms.  

Is she shedding and do you see new growth poking through?  Ferrets shed 1-2 times yearly (depending on the amount of light), mainly in the fall and spring.  At times their coats can become patchy or appear to have hair loss, but there should be new fur ready to replace the old.  

Also, discontinue using any fabric softeners or any chemical cleaners.  Some ferrets are sensitive and can have allergic reactions to these.  Wash all bedding well and see if that helps.  As far as a cleaner, use VERY dilute warm bleach/water (about a 1:32 dilution... or until the water is no longer "slimy" to the touch).   Shecould also have a food allergy that is causing the hair loss (are we seeing a trend?  It really could be caused by almost anything!)  Have you been using any new products around the house?  If so, discontinue use immediately and see if that helps.  Remember, ferrets regrow their fur 1-2 times yearly, so you may not see any regrowth until the new coat!  

Regardless of the cause, you should bring her for a checkup with your veterinarian ASAP.  A prompt diagnosis is ALWAYS the best option!  I hope everything goes well for your little girl and her hair loss is nothing more than an allergy.  Please keep me posted to his progress/diagnosis.  I will be wondering about her.

Ferret friendly vets in Canada:

VETS CANADA:   
* http://www.ferretrescue.ca/start.php
* http://tinylink.com/?TlVyYKa6e0
* http://www.ferrets.org/Veterinarian_Listings.htm   (British Columbia)
* http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/db-vets.html
* http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/sask_ferrets/


I hope this information helps.  Good luck with the little girl.