Sick Ferret

[meghanashley]

My little guy Frankie is off to the vet today. About a month ago his hair started thinning on his head to the point that he now has a bald spot. I am fearing adrenal disease, but the fact that I was told he tested negative when I adopted him 6 months ago and that the hair loss is only on his head is giving me a little hope.

Anyone had a ferret with food allergies? This is what I am hoping for, but there is so much garbage for info for ferrets on the internet, reguritated, conflicting garbage. I tried to switch him off the Evo back to the Marshalls he was eating at the rescue, but his brother won't eat it anymore and Frankie also favors it over anything else I've tried (fresh food, Wyomg, Zupreem, & Marshalls). It's hard to change his diet if the other one won't eat it.

 

[hermeticcharm]

I am really sorry to hear that, I really hope it's not adrenal I have 3 ferrets myself. Usually adrenal hair loss start down by their butts though so maybe its something else. Also I've never heard of a food allergy or anything that causes hair loss but maybe if it made them itchy and they scratched the heck out of that spot.

I'll let you know if I come across anything that might explain it.

Edit: Also keep in mind that some minor balding can occur during the normal seasonal shedding, so lets hope its just that! We feed our ferrets Iams cat food with ocean fish and rice. They love it and it is suppose to be just as nutritional if not more than the ferret specific foods.

 

[evilxyardxgnome]

I have heard nothing but bad things about Marshalls food. I switched to zupreem and my ferrets seem to love it. He/she might have contracted adrenal disease it's not uncommon for them to develop it later in life. Hope it's not but I think surgery can correct this issue. Good luck at the vet!

 

[meghanashley]

I am really sorry to hear that, I really hope it's not adrenal I have 3 ferrets myself. Usually adrenal hair loss start down by their butts though so maybe its something else. Also I've never heard of a food allergy or anything that causes hair loss but maybe if it made them itchy and they scratched the heck out of that spot.

I'll let you know if I come across anything that might explain it.

Edit: Also keep in mind that some minor balding can occur during the normal seasonal shedding, so lets hope its just that! We feed our ferrets Iams cat food with ocean fish and rice. They love it and it is suppose to be just as nutritional if not more than the ferret specific foods.

Thanks, they do become little family members.

I've read about the seasonal balding I was hoping when it first started happening that this was the case but at this point he looks like a monk with a prodominant bald circle about 1" diameter on th abck of his head, no other hair loss, he is itchy however the area is not inflamed in any way.. just bald. These are my first ferrets so I have nothing to base it against though.

 

[meghanashley]

I have heard nothing but bad things about Marshalls food. I switched to zupreem and my ferrets seem to love it. He/she might have contracted adrenal disease it's not uncommon for them to develop it later in life. Hope it's not but I think surgery can correct this issue. Good luck at the vet!

When I was picking them up from the rescue the lady freaked when I said that I would be feeding them evo, said they would not take it blah blah they were used to the Marshalls. She said she would trade me a bag of Marshall for the evo, which is like double the price. They loved the evo right off the bat, and now won't take the Marshall's. I have a big bag of Zupreem (read great reviews about it) at home too and the very expensive wyomg foods which was a joke as they won't touch it most times.

I tried to get them to eat market chicken, lamb, but they will not touch any wet meat or well anything that is not a dry food.

I've read info on the surgury for the removal of one or both of the adrenal glands, will have to shop around for a vet because I've seen prices as low as $200.00 and as expensive as $1,200.00

 

[evilxyardxgnome]

Yea if you want to feed them anything other than dry foods you have to start at a young at. They imprint on their food and if something doesn't look like their normal food they won't eat it.

 

[gigas12]

Hi,good luck for your ferret!

 

[Conner]

You haven't seen anything like the other ferret compulsively licking him? Is he ONLY losing hair on top of his head, its not thinning out anywhere else?

I would lean towards something like adrenal disease, but it could be that the other ferret is over-grooming.

 

[meghanashley]

No complusive licking other ferret is in perfect health. Vet did not tell me anything I didn't know except that costs for him, would run about 2k bwtn tests and surgury... not including today's visit where he looked at him for 30 sec and talked for about a half an hour