by Judy Evans

Created on: December 30, 2010

Older ferrets can suffer from a number of problems. As they age, the immune system weakens somewhat and they become more susceptible to infection and disease. As the lifespan of a ferret may be anywhere between 6 and 8 years, a ferret is ‘middle-aged’ at 3 years and ‘old’ at around 5 years.

Most common conditions seen in older ferrets are lymphosarcoma, skin tumours, heart conditions, insulinoma and peridontal problems.

*  Lymphosarcoma in older ferrets is generally associated with enlarged lymph nodes. A biopsy is normally taken to allow a firm diagnosis. Treatment will depend on the veterinarian, the extent of the disease and how the animal responds to treatment.

*  Skin tumours are quite common in older ferrets. These are often benign and typically take the form of small, round lesions which are somewhat raised. They may periodically bleed and then scab over. To be on the safe side, such lesions are generally excised followed by a biopsy to eliminate more sinister conditions.

*  Heart conditions affect many older ferrets with congestive cardiomyopathy being the most common, followed by hypertropic cardiomyopathy and valve conditions. Some ferrets will show no symptoms while others will be weak and have respiratory problems. As insulinoma manifests with similar symptoms to some heart conditions, a professional diagnosis should be sought.

Treatment may involve diuretics and blood pressure drugs. If the condition is caught in its early stages, treatment may allow the ferret to have a good quality of life for some time.

Older ferrets should be regularly wormed against heartworm as they are not able to fight infections like younger animals.

*  Insulinoma
This disease, also called pancreatic beta cell tumour, is quite common in ferrets over the age of three and very common in ferrets over 4 years old. Clusters of cells in the pancreas become cancerous resulting in the over-production of insulin. This results in hypoglycaemia as too much sugar leaves the bloodstream. The affected ferret is then at risk of dying from seizures or coma.

Systems of hypoglycaemia are sleepiness and lack of energy, weakness of the hindquarters, wobbling, increased salivation and glazed eyes. Once blood sugar becomes sufficiently low, the brain ceases to function properly causing seizures and coma. Although the symptoms may seem to be simple problems associated with old age, hypoglycaemia could be the culprit and if diagnosed and

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