my feretts fur

Question
My ferret is lossing fur on his his back closer to his bum and on his tail. I am wondering what would cause this to happen.  

Answer
Hi Samantha......it's not definite, but it's extremely likely that he has adrenal gland disease, which is unfortunately very, very common among ferrets. Baldness like you describe is the main symptom. Eventually, if untreated, he will also lose muscle mass, develop hind leg weakness, develop an enlarged prostate, and eventually die. The good news is that it's very treatable. The preferred treatment is surgery to remove the adrenal gland(s). These are tiny little organs that sit on top of the kidneys (hence the name "adrenal").

If he is not a good surgical candidate or if you cannot afford the surgery (only make this decision in consultation with your veterinarian), he can be treated with injections of a drug called Lupron as well as a tiny implant of melatonin; the company that makes it calls the implant Ferretonin. Most of us recommend getting both Lupron and Ferretonin if surgery is not elected. The ferret will need the Lupron and/or Ferretonin for the rest of his life but he will eventually grow back his hair and his other symptoms will be helped, too, except for muscle loss which is permanent (this is why it's important to address the issue as soon as possible).

Here is a good website for you to check out for more information on adrenal disease:

http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/basics.htm

And here is a good site for your vet to look at if he/she is unfamiliar with adrenal disease:

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

Bring your ferret to the vet soon so that a proper diagnosis can be made and treatment started. It's possible that something else is going on, but the odds are that it's adrenal disease. In any event, seeing your vet is the most important thing right now.

Good luck!
DG