My little Jingle Belle is losing hair on her tail. She doesn't have any other symptoms of adrenal disease according to "Ferrets for Dummies" (which I highly recommend). She's eating and drinking well, playing like always, etc. Is there something else it could be? If so what other symptoms should I look for? I am scared senseless. I intend to take her to the vet on Tuesday, but I need some advice right now from someone who knows.
PLEASE do not answer if you don't know anything about ferrets!
Thanks in advance and bless you! P~
2006-12-31 09:09:14 · 4 answers · asked by Psalm91 5 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
She doesn't have fleas.
I have found in Ferrets for Dummies something about blackheads on their tails and it causing hair loss. She does appear to have blackheads on her tail. I'm feeling relieved now, but I am going to get her checked out.
2006-12-31 12:26:36 · update #1
Adrenal disease usually starts out with hair loss.. usually on the tail... it then can spread from there. I have had ferrets live long (semi)healthy lives with adrenal. I had a baldy that was the love of my life. Once the hair is gone from most of their bodies, they can start to itch. I gave mine an oatmeal bath about every 2 days, not to clean her, but to soften her skin to lessen the itch. ( i bathed my ferrets about once every 2 months unless i was preparing for a show.) As the disease progresses, the ferret will get what looks like age spots on their skin, at that time its close to the end.
If you got your ferret fom a pet store, it is most likely an import rom Marshall farms (2 blue tattoos on the ear) or Path valley. Both of these places are kinda like puppy mills for ferrets. They started out breeding for research, so quality did not matter. Once ferrets were legalized almost everywhere, they branched out to pet stores. All of the ferrets that i adopted from shelters that came from pet stores seemed to have disease and lived a shorter life. Most ferrets will live 4 years average from a pet store. My vet was shocked when i took in my 9 year old ferret. I finally changed to getting my ferrets from a reputable breeder in the area.
The other major disease that ferrets get is insulinoma, sorta like low blood sugar in humans. The treatment is usually prednisone daily. Again, they can live fairly well on the right meds. Symptoms are usually lethargy, especially if they havent eaten in a few hours.
Hope this helps... email me if you want further info. I spent about 6 years showing ferrets and such!
2006-12-31 11:36:50 · answer #1 · answered by itutorchem 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Could it possibly be fleas? Fungus? Rash? Food allergy?
There's always a lot of different reasons for hair loss. Even something as simple as her being itchy and chewing her tail can result in loss like you're talking about.
2006-12-31 09:11:22 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
is it possible she has fleas? have you used any new bedding or anything that could be causing her to chew the hair on her tail? sorry no real answer except as long as she's acting ok just keep a close eye on her and take her in tue. good luck.
2006-12-31 09:30:45 · answer #3 · answered by cagney 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if u live in boulder colorado there is a great vet named Dr. minkcse and just call her up and she will answer oll of ur questions. for free! if not go to ferret.com and they will answer a lot of ur questions. just put the question in the slot
2006-12-31 09:29:41 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋