Adrenal Disease in Ferrets: Signs, Diagnosis and Treatment

If your ferret's tail has started to look thin and ratty, it's natural to wonder whether it's just a moult or something more. Hair loss is a common sign of adrenal disease, so a thinning tail is worth mentioning to your vet promptly.

What adrenal disease is

Adrenal disease is an overgrowth or tumour in one or both of a ferret's adrenal glands, which floods the body with sex hormones. It tends to affect middle-aged and older ferrets, and the signs build over weeks to months. Left untreated, it can be fatal.

Early signs to look for

Hair loss is the sign most owners notice first. A veterinary article written for practitioners says owners typically spot it on the tail first, and that it can creep up towards the base of the tail and along the flanks. The loss is symmetrical, meaning both sides look much the same. Not every ferret follows this pattern, though, and any ferret with hair loss anywhere on the body needs a vet's opinion.

Itching varies. One source says affected ferrets aren't itchy, while another says about 30 percent become extremely itchy. So an itchy ferret might have adrenal disease, and one that isn't scratching might too, which means itching isn't a reliable early sign either way.

Other changes can include a swollen vulva in females, thinning skin, a pot-bellied look from muscle wasting and aggression. In males, an enlarged prostate can make it difficult to pass urine and stool.

If you notice new hair loss, a swollen vulva or a change in behaviour, contact your vet promptly rather than waiting to see how it goes.

When it's an emergency

Adrenal disease isn't usually an emergency in the earlier stages, but it can create one. If a male ferret is having trouble passing urine or isn't passing any, he needs an emergency vet straight away, including out of hours at night or at the weekend. Veteris says this can lead to acute kidney failure and shock, so don't wait for the hair loss to be dealt with first.

The same applies to any ferret who seems very unwell. They should be seen right away, and that means an out of hours vet if they become poorly overnight or at the weekend.

Why neutered ferrets are affected

The disease is common in surgically neutered ferrets, although it is also reported in entire ones. The usual explanation is a theory rather than a proven fact. After neutering, the body loses a natural feedback signal, so levels of hormones called gonadotrophins rise and keep stimulating the adrenal glands, and over time the glands are thought to enlarge or develop tumours.

One study found a link between the age a ferret was neutered and the age the disease began, and found no difference between males and females. Your vet will probably ask when your ferret was neutered, so it helps to know.

How vets diagnose it

Diagnosis is often guided by the signs. A vet will suspect adrenal disease in a middle-aged or older ferret with symmetrical hair loss over the tail, and will examine your ferret from nose to tail and ask what changes you've seen.

An ultrasound of the adrenal glands is very informative and non-invasive, and it can usually be done in a conscious ferret. Small tumours can be hard to spot, so an experienced vet or specialist may be needed. Blood tests are an option too, but results aren't always straightforward and can mimic other conditions, such as ovarian remnant syndrome in females, which is why they aren't always pursued. Vets also often check for an insulinoma, a pancreatic tumour, because both conditions are common in older ferrets.

Treatment options

Treatment can be surgical or medical, and the choice depends on things like your ferret's age, how well they'd cope with an anaesthetic, cost and your vet's experience.

Surgery

If just one gland is affected, your vet may discuss removing it. The right gland sits close to a major blood vessel, which makes that operation more complicated, with less chance of a successful removal than on the left. Sources disagree on whether surgery counts as a cure. It removes the affected gland, but the disease can involve the other gland, so ask your vet what outcome to expect for your ferret.

Deslorelin implants

A deslorelin implant is injected under the skin and slowly reduces sex hormone release. Veteris says symptoms resolve within about a month. The implant does not address or treat the tumours, so it controls the hormones rather than removing the cause. A UK clinical article says ferrets will very likely need repeat implants throughout their lifetime, and that owners should watch closely for signs coming back. You may also see a short rise in sexual behaviour before things improve.

Other medicines

Lupron is a depot injection lasting one to three months, so it needs repeating more often. Melatonin is given as daily tablets or liquid, or less often as an implant, and one veterinary source describes it as less effective than deslorelin. Your vet will explain what suits your ferret.

Questions to take to your vet

It helps to ask whether your vet regularly treats ferrets, which tests they'd suggest, and whether surgery or an implant fits your ferret's age and health. Ferrets with adrenal disease need regular veterinary check ups and ongoing treatment, so ask what that will involve, which signs mean you should call straight away, and what outlook to expect for your own ferret.