Ferret Books

Endocrine refers to hormone related diseases, one of which is very common in ferrets. The majority of ferrets sold in the U.S. are spayed/neutered and descented prior to puberty. Desexing is not only necessary to control indiscriminate breeding and reduce aggression but also is an important safety issue in females (see effects of estrogen). Sexual hormones (estrogen and testosterone) are released from the adrenal gland and can occasionally be over produced in spayed and neutered ferrets and result in disease. The disease is often mistakenly called ferret Cushing disease by some people as a way of relating it to the canine hyperadrenalcorticism. However, in dogs disease results because too much cortisol is released and canine disease is not due to the effects of sexual hormones, but ferret disease is. Therefore the two conditions are entirely different diseases that are diagnosed and treated differently.

 

Adrenal Hyperplasia:

Also called adrenal-associated endocrinopathy or AAE

What is it?

Ferret adrenal hyperplasia is an endocrine disease due to a benign or malignant tumor in the cortex of the adrenal gland that produces an over secretion of estrogen resulting in the disease we typically call ferret adrenal hyperplasia.

Benign: for our purpose is basically just an area of normal tissue that is over active
Malignant tumor: typically thought of as actual cancer, more aggressive & spreads

The most common sign owners notice is alopecia, or hair loss, with areas of balding. The hair loss usually starts on the tail and progresses up the spine with ferrets eventually becoming bald except for some fur on their feet and face. Owners of spayed female ferrets may notice swelling of the genital area or vulva secretions. Some neutered males will have swelling or enlargement of their prostatic tissue from the effects of the hormone and these males can actually become blocked and unable to urinate. Behavior changes will also be seen due to the effects of the elevated hormone levels, with many ferrets becoming more aggressive. High levels of estrogen can be life threatening and can result in bone marrow failure with anemia and immunosuppression developing.

 

How is it diagnosed?

1. Based on clinical signs as described above - very characteristic.

2. Based on blood testing: hormone panel demonstrating elevated sexual hormones.

3. Ultrasonography may often be helpful to identify an enlarged adrenal gland. However it is important to remember that both adrenal glands can be abnormal and that even an abnormally large adrenal gland is still fairly small with this condition.

 

How is it treated?

Surgical Option: Surgery is still the most common method of treatment and often the best option. Treatment involves an exploratory surgery with identification and removal of the enlarged adrenal gland. But surgery is not the ideal solution for all patients. Ferrets with tumors involving the right adrenal gland often have the gland intimately associated with a very large vein making complete surgical removal troublesome. Also, even if the diseased adrenal gland is removed, there is no guarantee that the other gland will not develop disease in the future. And lastly, many of these ferrets with adrenal disease also have pancreatic tumors which will have to be removed at the time of surgery.

Medical Option: Only for those ferrets in which surgery is not an option. Lupron is a hormone used in humans with prostatic disease and is widely available but can be expensive. Lupron is not a cure of adrenal disease in ferrets and will not stop a tumor from enlarging, but it does often alleviate the clinical signs of the disease. The medication is given in regular injections to be administered by your veterinarian. In many ferrets it will result in regrowth of hair and decreased genital swelling. It is important to remember that while the ferret may "look" better a tumor may still be developing.

Freezing: Some veterinarians are utilizing freezing as a means of controlling adrenal tumors. The patient is prepped as for a surgical adrenal gland removal, but a probe which has been in liquid nitrogen is applied to the gland.

The most important thing to remember with ferret adrenal disease is that even if caught in later stages it is often treatable.

 

Pancreatic Neoplasia:

The pancreas is an organ that performs dual functions in the body. It secretes digestive enzymes and also produces insulin which is responsible for regulating glucose (sugar) levels in the body. With pancreatic neoplasia or cancer, ferrets have an over production of insulin and blood glucose level are lowered to very dangerous levels. Think of this are the opposite of diabetes. These tumors are often very small and often occur along with adrenal disease. Surgery is curative, but because these are very small tumors and difficult to see, surgery is not always successful. Medical therapy is a second option and involves utilizing medications to produce insulin resistance and artificially raise blood glucose levels.

 

Estrogen Overproduction:

Unspayed female ferrets or those with adrenal disease are susceptible to very high estrogen levels. These females will go into a perpetual heat cycle and can die of estrogen toxicity on bone marrow. The high levels suppress the bone marrow which is a necessary for the production of both red and white blood cells. With bone marrow toxicity the ferrets become anemic, are predisposed to bruising and bleeding and have a suppressed immune system.

 

Enteritis:

Enteritis is inflammation of the small intestines typically resulting in diarrhea. The inflammation can be caused from a variety of infectious and mechanical (irritant) insults to the intestines. A common condition in ferrets is called "green slime disease" and the cause is unknown at this time, but a virus is suspected. The disease causes severe green diarrhea coated with mucus. Treatment involves supportive care including fluids and nutrition.

 

Canine Distemper Virus:

The dog virus distemper is also infectious to ferrets and the most common sign of infection is a respiratory type of "cold" with severe chin skin lesions. Often there is also a history of exposure to an ill dog or a dog that was recently acquired from a shelter. It is important to remember that if you walk your ferret exposure can occur via indirect contact through urine or feces of infected dogs. Canine distemper virus is almost always fatal in ferrets and the best means of prevention is avoidance through regular vaccination.

 

Influenza:

Ferrets can get influenza from us and can give it to us as well. An infected ferret will have a typical upper respiratory infection (head cold type signs) that must be differentiated from distemper virus based on exposure and the absence of skin lesions. Often the history includes an ill human in the house.

 

Foreign Bodies:

Ferrets are escape artists and clowns and will explore every inch of your house. If allow free roam ferrets will often play will any and all objects found and unfortunately will often swallow inappropriate items such as toys, needles, string... Ferrets with these foreign bodies will be lethargic will vomit and will often go off their food. Diagnosis is via abdominal x-rays and treatment will depend upon the object ingested and the area of the gastrointestinal tract it is located in. Some objects can be removed with an endoscope run down the oral cavity and others will require abdominal surgery. Young ferrets are notorious for this and should always be supervised when allowed out of their cage. Shown above is a barium series radiograph - note the white liquid that fills the GI tract.

 

Dental Disease:

Ferrets can get the same types of dental disease as dog or cats. I recommend starting tooth brushing early in your ferret’s life to prevent periodontal disease.

 

Cardiac Disease:

Again, ferrets can develop the same types of cardiac conditions as other mammals and often the disease is silent, only being diagnosed at the yearly physical examination. Heart disease is diagnosed by auscultations, ECG and chest x-rays. The condition can be further defined by echocardiography. Medical treatment is implemented based on the type of disease diagnosed. Shown above is a chest x-rays of a ferret with pleural effusion - fluids around the lungs.

 

Gastrointestinal Tract Ulceration: Ulcers

Ferrets are very susceptible to ulceration of their G.I. tract from the organism helicobacter. Signs of ulceration are bloody or black stool and pain. The ferret will often be very depressed. The stress seems to predispose ferrets to ulcers and overgrowth of these bacteria (helicobacter). Treatment is supportive with gastrointestinal protectants, antacids and antibiotics. For ferrets with severe protein loss and anemia IV fluids and artificial blood products are sometimes utilized.

 

Neoplasia:

Ferrets can get the same types of cancers as all other mammals but seem to be predisposed to lymphoma or cancer of the lymph nodes. Many times the ferret will not show any signs of disease until the condition is advanced and then will show weight loss and enlarged lymph nodes. Lymphoma is often treated medically with drugs such as prednisone and others that can often result in remission of disease, but the long term prognosis is poor.

 

Ferret Vaccines:

Did you know that ferrets require regular vaccination? Ferrets should be vaccinated for both canine distemper virus and rabies virus. The dog/cat rabies virus is actually approved for ferrets and ferret specific distemper vaccines are available. As we've seen above, ferrets infected with canine distemper virus will die. Vaccination will prevent this disease in almost every case.

Recommendations:

Ferrets less then 1 year old:
Should receive 3 vaccines 2-3 weeks apart for distemper and 1 rabies vaccine at 3 months of age. Than yearly boosters should be given for each disease. Frequency of rabies may vary depending upon your state of residency.

Ferrets greater then 1 year old:
Should receive 2 distemper boosters 3 weeks apart and then yearly rabies and distemper vaccines.

 

Allergic Reactions to Vaccines:
The important thing to remember is that the vaccines are effective at preventing life threatening disease. However, ferrets do seem to have a higher rate of allergic reactions to vaccination. Most ferret vaccine allergies are of the immediate kind and therefore generally occur within minutes of vaccination. The ferret will suddenly become lethargic, the gums will be pale, the ferret may defecate or vomit, and many other symptoms of illness may be shown. This type of allergic reaction is life threatening and requires immediate medical intervention. At our hospital we always request that ferrets owners wait 15 minutes prior to leaving and a technician checks the ferret again prior to their departure. Other procedures which are done to minimize allergic reactions include:

- Using vaccines made for ferrets and not the dog variety

- Monitoring all ferrets after vaccination

- Splitting up vaccines over 1-2 weeks to decrease the immune stimulation

- Premedicating with diphenhydramine if the ferret has a history of allergies

- Giving the vaccine SQ (under the skin) and not intradermal (in the skin)

 

Diet:

What is a poor ferret diet?

Well, the easy answer is anything that isn't ferret food. But it isn't as easy as that of course, there are very few foods actually made specifically for ferrets and these aren't always easy to find. Most sources recommend that the protein source be animal and not plant origin, the protein level should be about 35% and that the fat level should be about 20%.

Dog food should never be fed to ferrets because is deficient in the amino acid taurine which can lead to heart disease. Also dog foods often have a lower protein percentage and more of the protein is plant based which can cause deficiencies and diarrhea.

The best way to purchase ferret food is to read the labels and attempt to provide a food that follows the basic guidelines offered above. Also, dry food is often the best choice because it causes less tartar buildup on their teeth and is easier to feed.

 

CONCLUSION:

For more information on all the subjects covered above and additional information, please see the ferret links below. The important thing to remember is that ferrets are subject to a variety of diseases, some of which can be silent and only diagnosed during a medical examination. All ferrets should be examined by a veterinarian on a yearly basis.