Loosing guard hairs at base of tail? HELP

[xclairex]

Hi everyone,

Since Charlie lost his winter coat i have noticed that he has lost guard hairs around the base of his tail. Its a very perfect 'ring' shape of missing guard hairs around his tail. Its only the guard hairs, his undercoat is still there so he's not bald.

I'm worried that this might be the start of adrenal disease?!! he's only 2 years old..

What do you think? could it be something else??? i'm praying its not adrenal disease!!

Ill try and post a picture tomorrow if i manage to get one.

Thanks

[Heather]

We've been getting a lot of juvenile adrenal this year. Not a good thing. Are there any other symptoms. Hair loss isn't something my brats did entirely, in fact a couple of them showed other symptoms before the hair loss. Captain Jack was sexually aggresive. Lady "B" just got mean and then her coat fell out . Sprite's vulva got very swollen but there was never a huge loss of coat. She just slept a lot. Pooka lost her appetite and then developed ulcers then her coat fell out. Unless you have an affordable access to the Tennessee panel, you can adopt the wait and see method or you can try lupron or the des implant and see if that fixes the problem. If it does then you know you're dealing with adrenal, if nothing changes...then it's just hair loss. Is there any chance it could be fleas, that causes strange pattern hair loss is some fuzzes?
ciao

[xclairex]

Hi thanks for your reply,

I'm not sure what lupron or the des implant is, if you could explain or if there is a link to somewhere else on the forum that explains.

The only other thing is weight loss, but this has been on going problem with charlie that i have made another post about. Hes always been a small/ skinny ferret and he goes through times when he has lost weight but then put it back on again- so i'm not sure if i can really class this as a symptom because its not a new one.

Is there a test that can be done for adrenal disease?

[Heather]

There's the Tennessee panel but depending where you are it can be really expensive. Up here you're looking at a 300 or 400 dollar test I've heard some people down in the use quote under $200. You'd have to ask your vet
ciao

[xclairex]

ok- ill ask my vet. how soon do they loose their hair? id is a quick process? or could it stay like this for a while?

[Sherry]

Sinnead's first symptom was hair loss starting at the base of her tail. She lost her guard hairs, then her undercoat there. It progressed down her tail, and up her hips.
Zeus became sexually aggressive, then his feet lost hair. Athena's only symptom was timidity, totally foreign for her.
Here is a link for adrenal, describing lupron. Deslorelin is a newer treatment(an implant) many are having success with.
www.ferret-universe.com/health/adrenal.asp

[xclairex]

Hi,

Here are some pictures i took this morning of his tail- if you guys could take a look and let me knoe if its the beginning or adrenal disease.

You can see in the pictures that he has lost the guard hairs at the base of his tail.

[Sherry]

In those pics, he just looks like he's shedding Here are some of my Miss Emily in her shed this year:

[xclairex]

Hi thanks for your replies. He has lots of grey hairs around his back legs that he didnt have before.

Do you think he has got more shedding to do? last year he looked just like yours sherry after he had finished shredding but this year he just looks a bit messy and stragley

xx

[Deleted]

I would just wait and see how his coat fills in as the season progresses. Mine looked pretty rough after their shed. Eventually they start to look normal again.

[Sherry]

Try brushing him. Or even hold him up, and try to gently "pluck" some fur from his back, sides, and haunches. If you are still getting fur that way, he's def. still shedding For a brush, I use a kitten slicker brush, and a rubber static brush. And no- they HATE being brushed ;D