Irritated Butt

Question
I am vry concerned about my ferett Butterball, shes about 2 years old. She recently has a problem with her butt being red and soggy. I have no idea what this could be except for anal impaction?? But shes decented, eats well, and has a lot of energy. We only feed her the good ferett food, and she has the pellet type ferett litter (which we scoop daily)And her hair seems fine. what would you suggest I try before taking her to the vet??

Answer
Hello Casina,

Poor Butterball!  have you noticed anything odd about her stool?  Does she have any diarrhea?  Loose stool can cause the area to become irritated and red.  One thing to watch for is diarrhea can cause her to quickly become dehydrated.  If she does have loose stool, I recommend to bring her to your vet for an exam ASAP.  Dehydration in ferrets quickly becomes an emergency situation.  I would not be concerned about anal impaction if she is eating, drinking and defecating normally.  If she is having healthy bowel movements, it means that the plumbing is working!  

The second cause that comes to mind is licking the area.  She could be itchy for any of a number of reasons (parasites, allergies, etc).  Watch her closely.  Is the redness/dampness due to over-grooming the area?  Does she scratch or seem itchy? If so, she would need an exam to determine the cause and treat her symptoms accordingly.

The last cause (although unlikely) is anal gland problems.  You mentioned she is descented, which means that her anal glands were removed when she was fixed.  Rarely, some of the gland remains after the surgery and creates some problems down there. Only your vet would be able to tell you if her symptoms are related to anal gland problems.  

-Cindy P.