Gidgett's swollen girly parts

[Poppyseed]

I noticed Gidgett had swollen girly parts so I took her to the vet. Last year a vet had told me it was likely she had adrenal but wasn't 100% sure. This was after a bacterial infection that had her down pretty bad but antibiotics cleared her right up. Her hair (which wasn't missing all too much just a little on her tail and hind legs) also grew back and she was doing well so I thought she would be alright and it was just the infection causing all those problems.

Now a year later, her vulva was swollen and she started having diarrhea again. So I took her to the vet (a different one, still an exotic vet but not as experienced but HAS owned ferrets) and he says typical adrenal ferrets have more hair loss than her. He's not ruling out adrenal but he thinks we should try to treat it as an infection at first. He said looking at her, her coat is still very thick and she is very filled out and doing very well for a 6.5 year old ferret except for some dry skin a swollen vulva and some mild diarrhea. So he said while adrenal still could be a possibility it's also a great possibility she is just infected. He gave me some medicine (I think corestral or something of that nature, would have to look at it to make 100% sure) to give to everyone just in case because with three ferrets it could be more than just Gidgett with the diarrhea. He said if her vulva swelling doesn't decrease we can do adrenal testing then (blood work and maybe a ultrasound).

Do you think my vet is going a good route? She is a rather old ferret but pretty alert and happy still. Do you think if she DOES test for adrenal then she should undergo surgery? Has anyone used a melatonin implant? I was thinking of going that route if I decide against surgery. Really she seems great besides the slight vulva swelling and I really don't want to put a ferret that seems great right now through surgery that might put her through unnecessary pain. Plus money is definitely an issue for me. If need be I could scape together funds for Gidgett's surgery but it would be a couple of months before that could happen. My vet fund is pretty barren after loosing a rat and having lots of sick rats ):

Advice, help, stories of ferrets that had similar predicaments would be awesome! Thanks.

[nakedrats]

 My jill had a swollen vulva about 6 months ago.  Hers was also crusty and she strained a little bit to pee.  It was vaginitis and cleared up after a couple of days of antibiotics and warm water soaks/manual decrustifying to keep her peeing regularly.  Your vet should be able to tell with a urine culture if her pee is soaked with bacteria.  Lunchbox is 4 1/2 and she has had regular melatonin implants since she was 3.  I highly recommend melatonin as a first stage if you even suspect adrenal, and missing hair is a bad sign...  Sometimes it can nip the problem in the bud and stabilize the adrenal gland before it goes crazy.  Melatonin can also be purchased at ye random drug store in pill form and given as 1/4 tablet in the morning, but the implant is much more convenient than wrassling your ferret down every morning.  Maintaining natural light-dark cycles (with actual dark) for your ferrets helps their bodies naturally release enough melatonin.  If that fails, I'd try Lupron injections before surgery.  The shots are kind of expensive depending on the vet you use.  Vets that buy them in bulk can give you a more reasonable price.  I've personally seen Lupron injections take a ferret from absolutely bald to full-coated normal looking healthy ferret.  You have to get a series of shots initially, but once she's on maintenance, I believe you only need a shot every 3 months.  With surgery, it's not guaranteed to work and is rather risky if a larger tumor has developed.  I forget which side, but one adrenal gland sits right next to a major blood vessel and my friend's ferret died on the table while the vet tried to remove a tumor growing around the blood vessel.  Also, if the vet misses some of the tumor, it will grow right back.  Plus there's still the gland on the other kidney, and it has the same potential to go wrong.

Good luck!  I hope it's only a urinary tract infection or vaginitis, and she feels better soon.

[Poppyseed]

Thanks for the quick rely nakedrats! I'm glad your ferret is fine now. It's amazing how huge Gidgett's looks compared to Spazz ): Poor Gidgy. But she is fine other than that. Of course I want her to be 100% happy and healthy as she is my cuddle bug ferret. She was so good at the vet office and even though she had shown obvious ferret curiosity of a new place with new smells to sniff and explore she stayed in my arms happy and content to be scratched and belly rubbed. The vet said she was his least wiggly patient all day and everyone there went ga ga over her. My ratties didn't get that treatment lol, but the vet did love Bert my hairless rat a lot.

Another question: The medicine I got is pretty nasty to them despite being in pet tinic (don't ask me how but some landed in my mouth when I was getting it into the syringe and I agree. I'm talented lol) My ferrets aren't much for treats except for ferretone. Do you think I can mix it in with ferretone and they will take it or do I have to give it to them twice a day? They hate meat so that is out of the question and you can't give them anything sugary or with too many carbs because they are ferrets and that makes it really hard to find something to hide the medicine taste I suppose.

Since I cannot pin point the diarrhea they are all on it just in case and the vet seemed to think that would be fine. I wish we would of gotten a urine culture now but I suppose that might be in the next step if this doesn't clear it up. Her vagina has a little discharge but isn't crusty and she seems to pee just fine from what I could tell...

[nakedrats]

For mixing meds, Ferretone is good, as well as Ferret-vite/Nutrical, meat ONLY baby food (read the ingredients list. it's hard to get but you can find it), or duk soup.  There are recipes on the internet for homemade duk soup as well as a powder mix.  People freeze the soup in an ice cube tray for easy daily portions.  I've had good success with cat treats too.  They aren't very nutritious, but they stink to high heck and my weasel loves the Friskies shrimp flavored soft treats (the hot pink bag) and gobbles them right up.

The presence of discharge is promising for urinary tract infection, so hopefully the antibiotics will clear her right up.  The diherrea isn't a greenish color is it?  Green slime is horrible and a huge pain to get rid of.  You may want to do melatonin anyway if she is 4+ years old.  Sometimes an ounce of prevention.....

Good luck!  Rub that tummy for me!

[Poppyseed]

I have seen greenish slime once last week but havn't seen it since. It's more brown slime now Ferret have very sensitive digestive tracks but I suppose I can relate to them there.

I gave my vet info on the melatonin implants and he's going to call the retailers. I will talk to him about it probably Tuesday to see if he got ahold of it and to make sure he hasn't forgotten. All my ferrets are over four now but Lugh and Spazz seems fine. Do you think melatonin can PREVENT adrenal? I've never heard of that. It would be so awesome if it did. Spazz is nearly five and is doing fabulous now do you think she would need it as well? She's my youngest. Lugh is 6.5 as well. He's healthy but I worry that his play has become a little more rough which is also a sign of adrenal ): I was planning on bringing them in later in the year for a senior visit.

Also, if Spazz goes on those implants can she continue them for possibly four years (or longer)if she ends up living that long? I don't know how many of those you can stick in a ferret before they add up and you have to replace them every 3-4 months I've read O_O I know their lifespan is 5-8 years but considering Gidgett and Lugh are nearly 7 and doing wonderful I'm thinking I got lucky somehow and might (HOPEFULLY) have them all longer than 8! I've read of some ferrets living 13 years but that mostly happens in the UK. These all are Marshall mill ferrets too which have more problems I hear

[nakedrats]

From what I understand, melatonin helps to control hormone production in the adrenal gland.  Since adrenal disease is caused by overactivity or tumors in the adrenal gland, the implants use the ferret's natural regulatory processes to inhibit hormone production.  Melatonin is released in response to day-night changes in lighting, but with all the artificial light around from the house or even streetlights outside, indoor ferrets hardly ever get 12 hours of real darkness followed by 12 hours of light.  This, along with less than ideal breeding practices and later spay/neuter is supposedly why US ferrets have such high incidence of adrenal disease.  Over in UK, ferrets are kept outside where they get natural light, and don't get fixed at 3-4 weeks of age.

http://www.ferret-universe.com/health/adrenal.asp#melatonin

Mine has been on implants since 3 as a preventative.  I don't know whether any studies have been done on implants as a preventative, so I can't tell you for sure whether it's effective.  My ferret has a bunch implant remainders by now and I can't feel a lump of implants or anything.  I don't know if they break down overtime or what.  I keep her on it because it certainly doesn't hurt her and if there's a chance that it helps, then it's well worth $10 to me.  You must be taking great care of them to have such healthy fuzzies.  The oldest ferret I knew was 10 years old and incontinent.  Poor guy.  I'd watch out for the green slime.  It is a particular strain of bacteria that is rather hard to get rid of. 

If you want more expert advice, you can always call your local ferret rescue and talk to the shelter director.  If there's anything shelter directors see waaaaay too much, it's adrenal.  Once the ferret gets an expensive medical condition, it's amazing how people suddenly develop a busy schedule that doesn't have time for ferrets anymore.  My ferret is from Rocky's Ferret Rescue in MD. ( www.rockysferrets.com ) Barb Clay is a very very knowledgeable woman and has seen pretty much everything there is to see in a ferret.  She's treated hundreds of adrenal ferrets and can tell you her exact procedure and why she does it that way.  I call her for all my ferret related issues, and she's always happy to help out.

(edited to add ferret universe link)

[Poppyseed]

So you get the implants for $10 or is that a typo for a higher number? They don't list pricing on their site so I want to now what to expect to hear from my vet. If you get them for $10 and he quotes $100 I'll be weary. I doubt he would mark something up that high though lol.

I've not seen diarrhea lately only after a day and Gidgett's vulva doesn't have discharge but is still large. They all seem to be running around more. Maybe I caught this thing early enough it's easy to clear up. They still don't like getting meds from a syringe but it's the only way I can ensure they all get the proper dosage. I'm still watching for green poop though but like I said i only saw it once last week and haven't seen it since.

Melatonin sounds good! I think I want to do those on all my fuzzbutts if I can. First Gidgett but if it's just $10 I will do everyone! Heck if it's $50 I will do everyone. $100 is a lot for me right now but I can do Gidgett this month and Lugh and Spazz next month if it's that much.

I try to take good care of them even though there had been a couple of years they didn't get the care they deserved after my divorce. I was even getting to the point of thinking of rehomeing them ): But I've come out of that dark stage in my life and they get the attention and care they deserve yet again. I still miss allowing them a whole room all the time but they get 'ferret time' every day once again XD I love my ferrets so much even if they are a HUGE commitment and a TON of work. I really wish I was better equipped for their expensive medical condition than I am now, but I try to put all I can towards my animals when I can. 6 years ago I had a husband with money, so money was never an issue unlike now with me being single without a college degree ): Of course when I divorced (the furkids where 4 and 2 then), I didn't try to get my half of what he had and ended up with nothing. My parents haven't been any help either. I didn't have a bed, a roof over my head, a car, or a job when I divorced. I was extremely depressed because of a miscarriage not long before that and the divorce. So needless to say the ferrets have been through all of that with me. They have been one constant in my life and I hope they are happy and forgive me for not having them out everyday for those couple of years ): I can totally understand why ferret shelters get so many ferrets in, these pets are very demanding and things come up people aren't prepared for. Yet I'm trying really hard to hang in there and give them everything they deserve and I really don't ever want to give them up as they are so sweet and playful and are my kids basically. I'm better equipped to be a ferret owner again now, yet money still is hard to come by from time to time (trying to get that vet fund back up but every time I save it goes to the animals ) Even at my low salary I can afford their expensive vet bills if I work at it so I don't really see any reason many who make more than me give them up because they don't have time ): I wish ferrets were harder to come by, then there wouldn't be so many ferrets in needs of homes.

So yeah, I'm not a ferret owner for life but I do and will enjoy being a ferret owner for the rest of Gidgett, Lugh and Spazz's lives. I just hope if Gidgett and Lugh pass before Spazz that she will be content on her own. I suppose that's a few years from now (hopefully!) but I still worry about that. I suppose when it comes to my pets I'm always worrying about something.

Thanks for the idea! I know of a ferret shelter nearby because one of my aunts had owned a ferret I found neglected and nearly starved to death one thanksgiving ): I had known he hadn't gotten any out time ever and was planning on getting him from her if I ever could but when I found him he was skin and bones! My aunt had ran out of ferret food and was feeding him only veggies! She didn't know he was a carnivore!! I had taken him out of the cage, gave him some turkey and brought him home with me (took him to the vet and fattened him right up!). Unfortunately Boone (what I called him he had a name before but they forgot it ) didn't get along with Lugh and Gidgett at all and had behavior problems I wasn't able to deal with at the time so I thought he would be better with someone else as a single ferret. He didn't seem to much care for others. So I brought him to the shelter and the lady was wonderful and had a huge farm house with 40 ferret running amuck. They all seemed so happy and well taken care of! I hope Boone found a good home. After that my aunt had told me repeatedly how my cousin missed him so much ): Grr I was so mad I still have nightmares of the past hoarding I had seen in her house! I dream I go into the basement and there are cages upon cages of animals and I'm trying to save them but can't take them all home and they are starving and many in the cages are forgotten and dead ):

That was a long post... sorry >_> But yeah I may contact the shelter lady about Gidgett and ask if she also has had success with melatonin implants.

[nakedrats]

I get my implants through the shelter since Lunch is technically a foster.  She's a "permanent foster".  I wanted a ferret for such a long time, but I didn't know what I would do as a college student if I suddenly was faced with a thousand dollars or so worth of vet bill, or worse a sick ferret and me unable to fork up half upfront to get care.  Now I can get help if I need it.  10 million kudos to you for sticking with them and pulling through.  I can't imagine how it must have been.  I'm glad things are looking up for everyone, and they definitely forgive you!  They are the most forgiving animals I've ever seen!  I hear stories from our shelter director about poor weasels she's picked up from the side of the road, from horrible nasty conditions from hoarding situations, and they are just wonderful loving ferrets that act like they never had a care in the world.  Perhaps if Gidgett needs a friend to keep her warm when she's a little old lady, maybe you could borrow some fosters.  Unadoptable ferrets can benefit a ton from even a short break from the shelter.  An already bonded pair would provide company and friendship to a lone ferret, and then still have each other for company when she passes.

I don't know what a vet charges to give implants to a ferret.  The shelter buys direct and does their own, so we don't get any of the vet office costs.  My friend and I usually do melatonin implants for all the shelter ferrets and our fosters when we volunteer.  The poor fuzzies are such babies about it and squeal like you're killing them.  The needle is big, but it's not THAT big!

[Poppyseed]

That is a wonderful idea! I think I will do that for Spazz if something like that ever happens. I've never fostered before though, so I worry I would be wanting to keep the ferret for my own still XD

[nakedrats]

Yeah, "foster failure" is a real risk.  You get so attached when you've got them for a while.  Rather than permanently unadoptable ferrets, shelters are often more than happy to loan out ferrets with behavior problems that are candidates for rehab.  My friend rehabs biters and gives them back to the shelter to be adopted out after their attitude adjustment.  You have to have the patience, mind set, and know-how to deal with a biter though.  Another option might be ferrets recovering from surgery, neglect cases being fattened up, or nakeds growing back their coats after adrenal disease treatment.  They've got a timer attached to their fostering period, so you can have a series of short term visitors rather than a long term boarder.

[Poppyseed]

I've fattened up a neglected ferret before *points to post above* that still really angers me that my aunt let him get like that and thought ferrets couldn't eat meat! She even had cat food, worse case scenario if she was out of ferret food and couldn't get to the store (which shouldn't happen anyway at all you should monitor the pet food levels and get new food before time but that is besides the point, we know that) she could of fed him cat food ): No... she fed him vegetables. Never mind the canines! I'm so glad I got him out of that and really enjoyed him for the few weeks I had him but he was not fitting in with my ferrets at all. And she wouldn't give me the cage! I know maybe more time would of made them come around but I felt that it would of been better for him to be adopted out. I really do wish he found a good home ):

But that does sound like a good idea! I think I may start fostering whenever I have less of a zoo XD I'm at my own max capacity now.

[nakedrats]

Yeah, I don't know how people can just let a pet sit and starve in it's cage, and if your ferret's bones are sticking out, how can you not know it's starving?  That poor poor guy.  People make me sick. 

Lunch has the opposite problem, she's decidedly pear shaped.  I do wish she would get along with other ferrets.  She'd get much more exercise that way.  The cats are all scared of her because she bites them all the time, so they don't come over and initiate play very often, and she'll beat the tar out of any other ferret she comes in contact with.  She's really dominant toward other ferrets and doesn't know how rough to play or to stop when the other ferret is squeaking pathetically.

I'm sure that poor weasel got a good home.  Shelters are good at grilling people on ferret knowledge and making sure they know what they're getting into before giving them a weasel.  I just wish pet stores would make sure people knew what they wanted and were able to care for an animal before selling them a pet.  A ferret owner that doesn't know what it is their pet eats is pretty pathetic.  Ugh...I feel sorry for you having to be related to someone like that.  I'm sure that ferret is curled up in a hammock somewhere safe and sound and soooooooo glad that somebody saved him and helped him get a home where somebody loves him.