Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2013 17:58:33 GMT -5
Hi,
It's been a while since I've posted, and I found a couple of questions in my inbox regarding yellow/orange fur, rat tail, etc. The concern that comes with these question is always the same: Does/will my ferret have adrenal disease???
Yellow or orange fur, blackheads, and rat tail are caused by oils produced by the skin. An increase in hormone levels will result in an increase in oils produced in the skin. (This is commonly why you will hear breeders refer to their greasy stinky hobs....when hormone levels are high, more oils are produced. )
So, if your ferret is producing excessive levels of oils (which shows up as yellow/orange fur, black heads/orange or brown waxy deposits on the skin), your ferret's hormone levels may be elevated. What does this mean?
We know that neutering (which includes spay) causes the adrenal glands to take over the function of the gonads. Over a period of time, the adrenal glands are overworked because they are taking on the function of hormone production. If any endocrine gland is overworked consistently enough over a long enough period of time, that gland will become diseased. So, if the yellow fur or rat tail goes away, does that mean my ferret does not have adrenal disease? No. It means that your ferret probably had a hormonal spike - and his/her adrenal glands may or may not be diseased. The deterioration of adrenal health takes place over time. Here's a different example to provide some perspective: When does somebody who drinks too much become an alcoholic? When does the damage start? There are many different thoughts on "alcoholism". Adrenal disease is similar - it's not something that your ferret gets over time.
It's important to remember that quite a few ferrets with adrenal disease do not show many clinical symptoms of the disease. And even intact ferrets can and do develop adrenal disease. Some ferrets are not affected to an extreme degree by adrenal abnormalities. It's important to understand that neutering starts the time-bomb ticking. This is why many ferret owners chose to try to prevent adrenal disease (or at least delay the onset and minimize the effects) with Deslorelin implants, melatonin, lupron controlled lighting, etc.
It has been my experience and observation that late alters are less severely affected by adrenal disease that ferrets who are altered at very early ages. Unfortunately, we are all still learning about management of adrenal disease in ferrets. So far,Deslorelin implants appear to be the best approach we have to prevention/delayed advancement of the disease.
-jennifer
It's been a while since I've posted, and I found a couple of questions in my inbox regarding yellow/orange fur, rat tail, etc. The concern that comes with these question is always the same: Does/will my ferret have adrenal disease???
Yellow or orange fur, blackheads, and rat tail are caused by oils produced by the skin. An increase in hormone levels will result in an increase in oils produced in the skin. (This is commonly why you will hear breeders refer to their greasy stinky hobs....when hormone levels are high, more oils are produced. )
So, if your ferret is producing excessive levels of oils (which shows up as yellow/orange fur, black heads/orange or brown waxy deposits on the skin), your ferret's hormone levels may be elevated. What does this mean?
We know that neutering (which includes spay) causes the adrenal glands to take over the function of the gonads. Over a period of time, the adrenal glands are overworked because they are taking on the function of hormone production. If any endocrine gland is overworked consistently enough over a long enough period of time, that gland will become diseased. So, if the yellow fur or rat tail goes away, does that mean my ferret does not have adrenal disease? No. It means that your ferret probably had a hormonal spike - and his/her adrenal glands may or may not be diseased. The deterioration of adrenal health takes place over time. Here's a different example to provide some perspective: When does somebody who drinks too much become an alcoholic? When does the damage start? There are many different thoughts on "alcoholism". Adrenal disease is similar - it's not something that your ferret gets over time.
It's important to remember that quite a few ferrets with adrenal disease do not show many clinical symptoms of the disease. And even intact ferrets can and do develop adrenal disease. Some ferrets are not affected to an extreme degree by adrenal abnormalities. It's important to understand that neutering starts the time-bomb ticking. This is why many ferret owners chose to try to prevent adrenal disease (or at least delay the onset and minimize the effects) with Deslorelin implants, melatonin, lupron controlled lighting, etc.
It has been my experience and observation that late alters are less severely affected by adrenal disease that ferrets who are altered at very early ages. Unfortunately, we are all still learning about management of adrenal disease in ferrets. So far,Deslorelin implants appear to be the best approach we have to prevention/delayed advancement of the disease.
-jennifer