My ferret is going bald!

Question
Hello,

I just acquired two ferrets, a male and a female.  The male seems completely healthy but the female is thin and has a bald spot on her hind part.  Her hair is also thinning in other places on her body.  Can you tell me what the cause of this may be?  I have only had them foe two days so I am trying to find a ferret vet for them so I can make sure they have their shots and all.


Answer
Hi Robyne:

Welcome to the world of ferrets! I think you will find they bring a whole new world of laughter to what can be somewhat humdrum days at times.

You don't say how old your ferrets are, but from the description of the hair loss on your little girl's bottom, that sounds like a typical hair loss pattern for adrenal disease. Before you panic, adrenal disease is completely curable, but it does require a surgery to remove the offending gland/s.

Here's a great website that will explain it all better than I can:

   http://www.ferretcentral.org/faq/med/adrenal.html

You will definitely be wanting to find a specific *ferret* vet, not just a dog and cat vet, especially since you are probably looking at a surgery in the near future.  Here's a list of vets - hopefully you can find one in your area - check surrounding areas too though, prices vary sometimes from $250 to over $1,000 for the same surgery, so when you call, you will want to ask each vet's office for an "estimate for a "left adrenal gland removal with no complications". If you ask exactly the same question at each place, you will complare apples with apples. That doesn't mean the number they give you is what it will cost you - only which vet is likely to be least expensive. There can always be complications or other costs that will make it more than the price they originally quote you, but at least you will have an idea how much it will cost. Here are the vet lists:

VETS USA:
* http://www.quincyweb.net/quincy/vet.html
* http://ferrethealth.org/vets/
* http://www.ferret-universe.com/vets/vetlist.asp
* http://www.ferretsanctuary.com/vets.shtml
* http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/db-vets.html
* http://ferrethealth.org/vets/

Sometimes it's cost effective to travel, even stay overnight at a larger city, and use a vet with more experience, stay overnight at a motel where the vet hospital is nearby, then head home the next day with your ferret. I did that once and saved $800 just by driving 300 miles out of town to a larger city with more experienced ferret vets and more competition.

Another thing you can do is contact ferret shelter owners in your area and ask what vets they use - you can guarantee they know the best and cheapest vets! They have lots of little ones to take care of and have definitely shopped around for not only the best, but the cheapest.  Here are some lists of shelters:

SHELTERS/RESCUES - U.S.
* http://www.ferret.org/links/shelters.shtm
* http://www.everythingferret.com/ferret_shelters.htm
* http://groups.msn.com/Ferret/yourwebpage5.msnw
* http://www.ferretcentral.org/for-others/db-products.html
* http://www.ferretfacts.com/ferret-shelter-directory-us-ferret-shelters.html

You are going to have to learn a LOT really fast if you're new to ferrets. The first thing any new ferret owner should do is learn how to "ferretproof" their home to make it safe for their ferret. Ferrets tend to eat things they aren't supposed to and that can cost another surgery if they get intestinal blockages, so until you can get at least one room ferretproofed really well, please watch them very very closely when they are out playing. Things like soft rubber of any kind, soft plastics, styrofoam, styrofoam packing peanuts, erasers, sponge materials, and a myriad of other things.

Here's a link to a really good website for new ferret owners. It talks about not only ferretproofing, but lots of other things you will need to learn quickly. The sooner you learn it, the safer your babies will be.  Here's the link:   http://www.ferretcentral.org   Scroll down the page and read any topic of interest. Especially read about nutrition (be sure they don't get anything with sugar in it, NO raisins or fruit, no veggies - ferrets are MEAT ONLY eaters - other foods will make them sick, even tho they love them. Raising have recently been found that as few as five of them can kill a healthy ferret with kidney failure. No nuts. Best treats are raw or cooked chicken pieces or Totally Ferret has some healthy ferret snacks. Be sure you are feeding a premium ferret food made especially for ferret like Totally Ferret, especially since you have one ferret with surgery coming up - she will need to have good nutrition before her surgery more than ever and NOW is the time to start that.

There his just too many things to tell a new ferret to cover it all here. You can read back over the previous answers on this website and/or read through the various topics at Ferret Central.org (link above)   If you have specific questions, I'll be happy to help you. Be sure to learn about how to make a "hospital cage" for your little girl to come home to after her surgery. If you don't find the information between now and time for her surgery, please write to me again and I'll be happy to give you information on that too.

CONGRATULATIONS on your new little ones.  I'm afraid your congratulations is a mixture of happiness and sadness - but I'm relieved that this little girl found her way to you so she can get the surgery she needs. So many ferrets die because people just don't even know adrenal surgery is curable - 100% !!  Please keep me updated - know that you and your precious little one are in my thoughts and prayers and let me know how I can help.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers