We have a female ferret that is losing her hair.  She is almost bald and her tail now looks like a rat’s tail. She is also scratching sores round her neck.  Does she have mange?

The signs you are describing are most likely being caused by adrenal gland disease. The adrenal glands produce several hormones, which are important to the body. When these glands become abnormal, i.e. hyperplastic or develop benign or malignant tumors, they produce an excessive amount of these hormones which causes the hair loss and the scratching you are seeing. Other signs that are often seen include a swollen vulva in the females, prostatic disease in the males, which may lead to urinary tract obstruction and straining to urinate.

There are two adrenal glands in the body, which are located just in front of the kidneys. One or both glands may be abnormal. Confirmation of adrenal disease can be done by completing an adrenal androgen hormonal assay which looks for abnormally elevated hormones, via ultrasound, or most commonly, by exploratory surgery.

Treatment options include both medical and surgical. For ferrets that are in good health and are young, surgery is probably the best treatment. Removal of the abnormal glands surgically or destruction by cryosurgery would, in most cases, permanently correct the problem.

Medical treatment, which involves the use of various hormones to counteract those being excessively produced by the abnormal adrenal gland(s), can alleviate the clinical signs and make your ferret more comfortable. This does not "cure" the disease, though. Medical treatment is best used in those ferrets that are very old or are not good surgical candidates.

Adrenal gland disease is very common in ferrets. Fortunately, with early detection and treatment, most clinical signs resolve within a few weeks after which the ferrets will live a normal, healthy life.

This information, prepared as a public service by the Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association, answers problems Rhode Island veterinarians currently are seeing in their practices, as well as new developments in animal care.