Post by aelainea on Jul 21, 2020 15:37:46 GMT -5
Hi everyone! I'm a former member with a shiny new account (hadn't logged on in a while, but perused the forum frequently as a guest), formally returning because my ferrets (3, 2 female and 1 male) are all getting older (they'll be 4 years old in November). Of my 3 babies, 2 are newly diagnosed as adrenal and have recently gotten melatonin implants, since no vets in my area have been able to get their hands on deslorelin.
I wanted to ask about symptoms that my sweet boy has been showing as of late. We recently took him (and one of our girls) to the vet due to suspected adrenal disease, as he would grab the ladies by the scruff and drag them around. He has also lost weight, but no fur loss or urinary problems. Both of their blood work showed adrenal disease, and we proceeded with getting implants. Things seemed to improve with the implant, but we're noticing more symptoms lately that I wanted to run by you guys and see if you have any thoughts or ideas before his upcoming vet appointment.
His activity levels and behavior otherwise are normal, and the implant does appear to be helping. We thought some of these symptoms might be due to the adrenal disease and gave it some time to work, but are taking him to the vet next week to get checked over.
I suspect something gastrointestinal due to the flare-ups of loose poops, or early heart disease because of the coughing, but he has none of the other symptoms associated with many of the diseases I've been researching (no lethargy, weakness, decreased appetite, etc.). I want to be prepared to have a full discussion with our vet and was wondering if you guys have any insight on what's going on. I trust our vet, but feel some direction could help in getting a proper diagnosis. Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post!
I wanted to ask about symptoms that my sweet boy has been showing as of late. We recently took him (and one of our girls) to the vet due to suspected adrenal disease, as he would grab the ladies by the scruff and drag them around. He has also lost weight, but no fur loss or urinary problems. Both of their blood work showed adrenal disease, and we proceeded with getting implants. Things seemed to improve with the implant, but we're noticing more symptoms lately that I wanted to run by you guys and see if you have any thoughts or ideas before his upcoming vet appointment.
- Weight loss (but no decreased appetite) — Eats as much and as frequently as before, but he has lost weight loss. Currently weights 2.4 pounds. Not absorbing nutrients properly?
- Aggression — Used to be really good, but lately bites my feet HARD when cleaning the litter boxes and cage at night. Targets me more than my partner, and he latches on and shakes. This used to be a problem when he was younger, and he would revenge bite when scruffed, but we eventually found a method that works and he has been a sweet angel since. Revenge biting back in full force now, although this has improved with frequent time-outs over the last week. Sign of not feeling well?
- Occasional poor-looking poo — This happens infrequently, but the other day he had mucousy, loose poops. He was also defecating more than usual, but his poop improved throughout the day. This isn't a regular occurrence but will flare up every once in a while.
- Coughing — Occasional coughing. Not super harsh or anything, but he does cough more than the ladies. When eating, during/after playtime, while resting.
- Teeth gnashing — Gnashes his teeth. All of our babies do this and have since they were babies. We keep an eye on it because it's known to be a sign of nausea/stomach problems, but ours seem to do it when they're content, particularly when being petted and rubbing against our hands. He also tries to "chew" his water (from a dish, not a water bottle) in a similar way. They act as normal as ever while doing this, so not totally sure what to make of it.
- Low albumin and increased estradiol — His last blood test (about a month ago) showed that he was adrenal, and has low albumin and increased estradiol, but I have no idea what this means and couldn't find much information online.
His activity levels and behavior otherwise are normal, and the implant does appear to be helping. We thought some of these symptoms might be due to the adrenal disease and gave it some time to work, but are taking him to the vet next week to get checked over.
I suspect something gastrointestinal due to the flare-ups of loose poops, or early heart disease because of the coughing, but he has none of the other symptoms associated with many of the diseases I've been researching (no lethargy, weakness, decreased appetite, etc.). I want to be prepared to have a full discussion with our vet and was wondering if you guys have any insight on what's going on. I trust our vet, but feel some direction could help in getting a proper diagnosis. Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post!