Yellow Coat?

[michelle]

As any of you may know, I'm newer to raw diets. I've had Logan for a month and have been feeding raw since day one. He's currently eating food-processed chicken breast, veal necks, lamb and beef. He also has a Stella and Chewie goat freeze-dries patty and a Nature's Variety Chicken Party. I haven't gotten chicken liver or chicken wings into his diet yet, he's just not going for it.

However, I noticed that his fur has a yellow undercoat. I'm used to my kits having bright fur:





Besides the random gooey stool, he's a ball full of energy. am I doing something wrong?

[sherrylynne]

Not at all. Males in particular seem to have yellower coats. At least mine do!
Here's one of my female DEW's:

Another female:

Here's my male albino, Vincent:

[Heather]

I wouldn't sweat the yellow coat, especially in the males. Here's a pic of Lady "B" and Odin (Odin is at the bottom of the pic). Note both ferrets have a blondish hue. Odin is an albino and Lady "B" a DEW. Odin seems to get blonder around now, as well as developing yellow coloured eye makeup. It's the oils in his coat. I'm going to guess as he was a late alter, he seems to be more affected than any of my other guys. I don't know if that's normal (he's my only late alter....he was at least 5 yrs of age when he was turned in here) or not but it happens every year around now and carries on until his spring shed.

I wish I had a photo of Porthos. His coat developed a strange yellow/orange colour. I noticed that Aremis developed that strange orangy colour to his undercoat....both ferrets had lymphomas. It's much deeper a colour than the blondish undercoat that you see here. I don't know if this has any significance but this was an observation that I made. Little Mischief also developed an orangy undercoat at his last coat change. He passed on due to cancer of the spleen, pancreas and liver. We become jaundiced when our livers are destroyed, perhaps this coat colour orange/yellow is a barometer too. I heard someone mention that this could also be a sign of adrenal
ciao
ciao

[msktty89]

Norman started to get yellowy-orange in certain spots, but not his full undercoat. I actually originally though it was because it's getting closer to spring and shedding time. He is older, 5 or maybe 6 by now (not sure when he turns, I just got him late 2009), and a DEW. He is not a Marshall's ferret and possibly was altered late, I don't know. I have also thought he may be adrenal because of thinning fur, but then it all came back. Now I see the tip of his tail looks a little thin again. I'm not really sure what to think. It could just be more oils, etc., but it could be age or worse. He acts the same, so we're waiting until next month when it's the ferts' turn for the vet, unless something happens sooner.

Wanted to add a pic of Norman's color:


Norman is only "orange" on his head/scruff, fronts of his legs.... Not really anywhere else. It's not too dark, but it is noticeable.

Akai is more yellow at the base of her tail, but it looks fairly normal, just like we're getting ready to change seasons. She wouldn't hold still for a pic.

[spiritualtramp]

My late-alter boys (both champagne) do have a glow to them, pretty much year round, but around this time they do get extra-glowing. My Pilot, who is an adrenal Marshall's female DEW, on the other hand, has the eye-rings and yellowing fur at the scruff, head, and base of tail. So it's hormonal in both cases, in hers it's an adrenal thing, in the boys' it's just their manly selves.

[Heather]

We tease Odin (late alter) about his eye make-up He only has it at this time of year and right now he's looking gorgeous. Great big fluffy leggings, full tail but yes a very difined yellow tint to the coat which is always bad from about Jan through to May or so depending on when he decides to shed. He also smells a little stronger than usual too, not bad, just muskier.
ciao

[msktty89]

That makes me think Norman's is just seasonal, not adrenal.