Pet care

In the ferret, adrenal disease – or hyperadrenocorticism – most commonly occurs when a tumor or lesion on the adrenal glands causes an overproduction of the hormones produced by the adrenal glands. Adrenal disease is most common in ferrets over the age of three years, but it can affect ferrets as young as a year old. Adrenal disease is one of the most prevalent ferret diseases, and there is no definitive test for it. Ferret owners need to know as much as possible about it to be able to recognize it and help the ferret after he is diagnosed by the veterinarian. CAUSES

While we don’t know for sure what exactly causes adrenal disease in ferrets, most theories point to two possible causes:Spaying and neutering at a young age

Many large ferret breeders spay or neuter ferrets at the age of 5 or 6 weeks, which may cause the ferret’s body to overcompensate for the lack of normal sex hormones. Adrenal disease has occurred in ferrets that are spayed or neutered after they have reached sexual maturity, but it is not nearly as common.Extended photoperiods

Most ferrets have been forced to adapt to their owner’s lifestyle and are exposed to at least four or five hours of artificial light in the evening in addition to the natural light during the day. This limits the time they spend in darkness, which decreases melatonin production. Too little melatonin results in overstimulation of the adrenal glands. Ferrets should have no less than 12 hours of complete darkness throughout a 24 hour period.

When a ferret develops adrenal disease, it is most likely the combination of a variety of factors. In addition to environmental factors, some ferrets are probably genetically predisposed to developing adrenal gland cancer.SIGNS

Hair loss or hair thinning – at the base of the tail, on his feet, on his belly, in an obvious pattern, or in a patchy appearance – are classic signs of adrenal disease. There are multiple causes for hair loss in ferrets, but a ferret owner should always suspect adrenal disease and report this to his or her veterinarian, especially if the ferret is 3 years of age or older. However, while hair loss is the classic sign of adrenal disease, not all ferrets will have this sign.

Unlike other diseases, there is not a standard set of signs that a ferret with adrenal disease will always display. The range of signs that your ferret shows will depend on where the tumor is on his adrenal glands. The adrenal glands produce many hormones, so the location of the tumor will affect which hormones are overproduced. The types of hormones that are overproduced determines which signs you will see.

Here are the various signs of adrenal disease: