What could be causing my ferret's hair loss?

My ferret is a 6-year-old neutered male. A couple of weeks ago he started losing a lot of hair. I know that it is often a sign of adrenal disease, but he is not losing any hair at the base of his tail. Rather, it started in the middle of his back. He has a bald patch there, the hair is thinning on his belly and now he is starting to lose hair on his neck as well. I haven't noticed any unusual biting or scratching and his skin looks okay. Any thoughts on what the cause of this could be? He is eating well and acting okay. I don't want to take him to the vet unless I absolutely have to because I know it will cost hundreds of dollars and I just can't afford it.

What could be causing my ferret's hair loss?

Is your ferret from Marshall farms? If you bought him at a pet store already neutered and/or he has two blue dots in one of his ears, then he's a Marshall ferret. They're a huge ferret-breeding farm (think puppy mill) and after dozens of generations of breeding, the strong breeding stock just isn't there anymore. Unfortunately now most of their ferrets don't live past 6-7 years and adrenal disease is VERY common.

If he doesn't have adrenal disease, it's still likely that he's approaching the end of his life. Certainly get a regular checkup at the vet to be sure, but it sounds alot like old age.

What could be causing my ferret's hair loss?

Stress?

What could be causing my ferret's hair loss?

Here is some great info I got about this topic:

As a cousin to the mink, ferrets take pride in their silky, soft coats. So if your ferret is experiencing abnormal hair loss, or alopecia, not only is it unfashionable, it's unhealthy.

"Ferrets normally shed their fur, or molt, during the spring or summer," said Dr. James Johnson, a veterinarian in the College of Veterinary Medicine, Zoological Medicine Section, at Texas A%26amp;M University.

"Healthy shedding in ferrets results in an overall thinner coat during the summer that eventually thickens when temperatures drop again in the fall and winter."

A veterinarian should see any ferret experiencing an unusual hair loss pattern or one that doesn't re-grow lost hair within a year, Johnson recommends. Extreme hair loss in ferrets usually indicates an adrenal tumor.

This condition is evidenced by a very distinct pattern of hair loss, causing baldness beginning at the tail or tail base and gradually spreading toward the upper body.

"Domesticated ferrets in the United States are prone to problems with the endocrine system, with as many as 75 percent to 80 percent of ferrets age four and older developing adrenal tumors," said Johnson.

"Alopecia, or baldness, in ferrets should prompt a visit to your veterinarian who can test for an adrenal disorder by measuring the hormones in the blood and/or examining the shape and size of the adrenal gland using an ultrasound."

A young and otherwise healthy ferret diagnosed with adrenal tumors will often be a good candidate for surgery, but may also require medication thereafter, Johnson adds. Older ferrets less likely to withstand the stress and risk of surgery are only treated medicinally.

In either case, ferrets with this disorder may or may not require medication for the rest of their lives, which average about eight to nine years.

"If left untreated, adrenal tumors in ferrets will cause severe hair and weight loss, extreme fatigue, organ damage, and death," said Johnson.

"However, not all adrenal disorders cause hair loss. It is important to have a veterinarian properly diagnose the cause of a ferret's hair loss since it can also be a symptom of other conditions."

Malnutrition may cause abnormal hair loss in ferrets, but it will most likely result in an overall thinning of the coat, rather than the pattern of baldness caused by adrenal tumors. Excess estrogen also causes abnormal hair loss, but is limited to un-spayed females in heat.

Because of the varied causes and treatments associated with hair loss in ferrets, Johnson says you should consult your veterinarian soon after symptoms surface to avoid additional health complications. Diagnosing and treating hair loss early will help to keep your ferret and its coat healthy and comfortable year round, he adds.

What could be causing my ferret's hair loss?

what kinda food are you feeding him? cat food can cause hair loss. try giving him furovite. my two have been on marshalls all their life but a friend of mine was feeding hers cat food and the same thing happened she switched to marshalls and gave them the furovite it was back in no time.

What could be causing my ferret's hair loss?

Hi sometime high protien levels can cause hair loss due to the overheating of the blood that makes animals pull coat out...if you use a ferret dried food I have found that this can happen %26amp; when I have mixed the ferret food with a little dried cat food this as sorted the problem out...my site is under construction but you maight like to drop by sometime at http://ferretandfriends.piczo.com/

Regards Jake

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PetsSecond...

What could be causing my ferret's hair loss?

I had the same problem with my ferret, Chester, I changed his food to a food with a higher protein content and his hair grew all back and thicker. I hope this helps.

What could be causing my ferret's hair loss?

mange it sounds like

What could be causing my ferret's hair loss?

Fleas?? Try giving him a cat flea shampoo bath... I know it's safe because that happened to me and it was fleas so we had to wash them in flea shampoo.

What could be causing my ferret's hair loss?

Give him to someone who WILL take care of him. Adrenal disease does not HAVE to start with the tail.

Think of me what you may, but not taking him to the vet because you know it will get expensive and you just don't want to afford that is......well, let me just say it's wrong.

Please contact one of the rescues in your area. Chances are there is someone there who cannot afford another sick one, but will anyway, cause that's what we do.

The problems your ferret is dealing with won't go away on their own, so please at least give him a fighting chance.

PS: To all prospective ferret owners out there: be aware that a great number of ferrets WILL need extensive vet care at least once in their lifetime, especially as they age. So please, do the responsible thing and tuck away a few dollars here and there when you first get them or even before to have a "vet fund" for them. If you are unable to do that, get a credit card for just such emergencies and keep it in the freezer or stowed away somewhere, so you won't use it for anything else(I know they are tempting). When I had just two ferrets I kept $500.00 per ferrets in a savings account, now that I have four of them I don't have quite that much per ferret(times are hard), but I do keep that credit card on stand-by.