Ferret Care

Adreno-cortical disease is common in ferrets age 2 and up, either caused by hyperplasia (overactivity) or neoplasia (cancer) of the adrenal glands. These glands are a part of the body’s hormone-producing (endocrine) system. For reasons not fully known, the adrenal glands can become diseased, enlarging and pressing on surrounding tissues, like the kidneys and vena cava, and producing excessive amounts of sex hormones. This can result in various clinical signs including:

• Hair loss
• Increased body odor
• Enlargement of the vulva and/or mammary glands in spayed females
• Return of the mating/aggression urge in neutered males
• Dry, brittle coat
• Itchy skin

Additionally, males can develop an enlarged prostate gland, which inhibits the outflow of urine, making it difficult or potentially impossible for the ferret to urinate. This is a medical emergency and should be addressed immediately. Treatment for this disease usually involves surgery to removal part or all of the adrenal glands, and medical therapy.

Exotic Vet Care offers Deslorelin 4.7mg Hormone Suppression Implants to give ferrets some relief from the adreno-cortical disease symptoms. The implant is placed while your pet is under sedation, and is effective for 6 months to several years. If your ferret presents to us with adreno-cortical disease, we will discuss all available treatment options and help you select the best option for your pet’s needs. The deslorelin implant is not a cure, but it can improve your pet’s quality of life.

Heartworm disease is spread by mosquitoes and ferrets are more at risk for heartworm disease than dogs or cats. Clinical signs of heartworm disease in ferrets include:

• Trouble breathing
• Rapid breathing
• Anorexia (decreased appetite)
• Harsh lung sounds (pulmonary rales)
• Heart murmur
• Fluid in the abdomen
• Coughing
• Fluid in the thoracic cavity
• Sudden death (in some cases)

These clinical signs are similar to those that present in infected dogs, but progress more quickly. This makes early diagnosis of heartworm disease very important. However, diagnosing heartworm disease can be challenging, because there are no heartworm tests available that are specific to ferrets. At Exotic Vet Care, we may opt to use a combination of tests to give us the highest likelihood of detecting the disease. Treatment of heartworm disease in ferrets is generally unrewarding, so we strongly recommend keeping your ferret on heartworm preventative year-round.

For this disease in particular, an ounce of prevention is the only cure.

Ferrets can catch the flu from humans. In ferrets, the signs of infection include sneezing, coughing, lethargy, fever, and a decrease in appetite. We can diagnose influenza in your ferret by performing a physical exam, discussing your pet’s history of exposure to infected individuals, and excluding other diseases. We can provide supportive treatment to help your pet recover.

We frequently treat dental disease in ferrets. If your ferret has bad breath, inflamed gums, and tartar buildup on their teeth, they need to see their vet as soon as possible for an oral exam. We might also recommend a teeth cleaning to remove the buildup and treat any existing infection. Dental disease can be very painful for your ferret, and the bacteria in their mouth could spread to the heart and other major organs, resulting in a much more serious health problem.

Another common health concern in ferrets is gastrointestinal disease. We often see diarrhea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and weight loss in ferrets. Likely culprits often include bacteria, parasites, cancer, and/or viruses. Without an early diagnosis, gastrointestinal issues can turn life-threatening very quickly.

Younger ferrets will often swallow objects such as plastic, rubber, foam, etc. They can also experience hairball obstruction and impaction if they often lick and chew at their fur. If the foreign body can’t pass on its own, it will need to be surgically removed.

There are several different types of heart disease that we see in ferrets: Cardiomyopathy, heart blocks, and acquired valvular disease. Heart disease is more often seen in ferrets that are middle-aged or older, with clinical signs including:

• Weight loss
• Weakness
• Rapid breathing

One thing we don’t typically see in ferrets with heart disease is coughing. A heart disease diagnosis is made with physical examination findings, X-rays, EKG, and a heart ultrasound. If your pet’s heart disease is found early, we may be able to treat it with medication.

Adrenal gland tumors, insulin secreting tumors, lymphoma/lymphosarcoma, prepucial adenocarcinomas, chondromas, and various types of skin cancer are all quite common in ferrets. As with any serious disease, early diagnosis is key to a good prognosis. Ferrets can develop cancer at any age, and both males and females are affected equally. The problem with cancer is that it can easily be misconstrued as something else, causing a variety of symptoms including:

• Small skin nodules
• Difficulty urinating
• Occasional vomiting or diarrhea
• Pronounced breathing

We need to perform a biopsy to check for cancer cells and make a definitive diagnosis. If your pet has an abnormal growth or nodule, we should see them as soon as possible for an exam.

Treatment of cancer in ferrets typically involves chemotherapy, where we administer injectable or oral medication to destroy the cancer cells or lower the risk of cancerous spread. Unlike people, ferrets don’t experience serious illness while undergoing chemotherapy, though they might have a decreased appetite or some vomiting. They may also lose some of their hair and whiskers.

Approximately 50-70% of ferrets over age 3 will develop some form of cancer. The best way to reduce your pet’s likelihood for this disease is to bring them in to see us biannually for their physical exam and blood work. This will enable us to detect subtle signs of cancer early on, when it can be treated more effectively.