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Post by rmzsuzuki89 on Nov 28, 2010 16:08:11 GMT -5
I'm looking onto picking up a FN142 with accessories and two 2-3 year old neutered and descented male ferrets. But the owner says that one of them is like half bald. She says that it's nothing wrong and that the ferret behaves as normal, just lost half of his hair. So does anyone know what this could be, and if it's serious, or something that may be seasonal taken to an extreme, or what? And also, how would it be fixed? Whether something serious or just loss of hair. I'm possibly picking up tonight, so I'm excited.
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Post by jesslough on Nov 28, 2010 16:36:52 GMT -5
Sounds like Adrenal Disease to me. Get him to a vet. It could also be from poor diet (vitamin A deficiency). Melatonin daily will get his hair back.
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Post by Kerit on Nov 28, 2010 16:41:46 GMT -5
If he's actually bald, it's almost certainly adrenal disease, which is sadly very common in ferrets. It's also very treatable, so it's awesome that you're looking in to it! A quick internet search could have informed their current owner that something might be up, and he could be getting help already.
Adrenal usually shows up in older ferrets, but it's been seen in younger, and, well... people tend to "round down" a ferret's age when they're trying to give it away, I've noticed.
It's usually diagnosed by symptoms alone, because the blood test is not super accurate and ultrasounds can be inconclusive. Treatment can include surgery, melatonin (over the counter or or implants from the vet), lupron shots, or possibly deslorelin shots if your vet can get them.
Lupron can be expensive, but it worked very well for both of my adrenals fuzzies. Since yours are males, you'll want to look into treatment right away, because it can affect their prostate and prevent them from urinating -- which cost me a $400+ emergency vet bill with my male.
Just search around for "adrenal disease"... there's a ton of info out there! If your ferret does have it, he can still live a long, normal life. Even if he doesn't turn out to have it, it's best to be familiar with it for the future.
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Post by rmzsuzuki89 on Nov 28, 2010 16:41:53 GMT -5
Sounds like Adrenal Disease to me. Get him to a vet. It could also be from poor diet (vitamin A deficiency). Melatonin daily will get his hair back. Poor diet could be possible, the possibility adrenal disease scares me though.
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Post by rmzsuzuki89 on Nov 28, 2010 16:44:02 GMT -5
If he's actually bald, it's almost certainly adrenal disease, which is sadly very common in ferrets. It's also very treatable, so it's awesome that you're looking in to it! A quick internet search could have informed their current owner that something might be up, and he could be getting help already. Adrenal usually shows up in older ferrets, but it's been seen in younger, and, well... people tend to "round down" a ferret's age when they're trying to give it away, I've noticed. It's usually diagnosed by symptoms alone, because the blood test is not super accurate and ultrasounds can be inconclusive. Treatment can include surgery, melatonin (over the counter or or implants from the vet), lupron shots, or possibly deslorelin shots if your vet can get them. Lupron can be expensive, but it worked very well for both of my adrenals fuzzies. Since yours are males, you'll want to look into treatment right away, because it can affect their prostate and prevent them from urinating -- which cost me a $400+ emergency vet bill with my male. Just search around for "adrenal disease"... there's a ton of info out there! If your ferret does have it, he can still live a long, normal life. Even if he doesn't turn out to have it, it's best to be familiar with it for the future. Thanks for the info, I'm gonna look it up now.
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Post by rmzsuzuki89 on Nov 28, 2010 18:22:16 GMT -5
Thanks for the replies everyone. I just got back from heading to get them. We got about half way there and my mom called and decided to tell me not to bring them to her house, so I had to turn around. So I guess I'm back to working on my dad about them. Or at least getting one relatively soon in the future.
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Post by Kerit on Nov 28, 2010 20:18:28 GMT -5
Aw, that's too bad. You should gently suggest that their owner have the "bald" one checked out, if you can... hopefully she or their eventual owner will get the little guy some help.
And there are always lots of ferrets out there needing forever homes when you're able to take some in. It's great that you were trying to adopt, not buy.
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Post by rmzsuzuki89 on Nov 29, 2010 17:11:11 GMT -5
Aw, that's too bad. You should gently suggest that their owner have the "bald" one checked out, if you can... hopefully she or their eventual owner will get the little guy some help. And there are always lots of ferrets out there needing forever homes when you're able to take some in. It's great that you were trying to adopt, not buy. I was thinking about trying to tell her, I just don't wanna make her mad lol.
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Post by bluemoose on Nov 29, 2010 17:37:30 GMT -5
Well she legitimately might not know that the baldness is a problem. Suggest that it may very well be Adrenal and that if it is, his life will be significantly shortened without treatment. I mean the worst that can happen is someone you don't know gets mad at you.
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Post by sherrylynne on Nov 29, 2010 23:52:26 GMT -5
Tell her to get the little one to a vet, even if just for a checkup. The vet will likely diagnose adrenal.
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Post by rmzsuzuki89 on Nov 30, 2010 0:46:34 GMT -5
Well she legitimately might not know that the baldness is a problem. Suggest that it may very well be Adrenal and that if it is, his life will be significantly shortened without treatment. I mean the worst that can happen is someone you don't know gets mad at you. This is very true. Tell her to get the little one to a vet, even if just for a checkup. The vet will likely diagnose adrenal. I'm gonna go ahead and do that.
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