QUESTION:
My ferret 3 yrs old. has a swollen vagina..my vet said last year that it was an adrenal gland tumor. It went away and now has happened again. Today it is really swollen and she keeps trying to go to the litter box..although there is nothing to come out. Is there anything I can give her to reduce the redness / swelling?

ANSWER:

I am assuming your ferret has been spayed, if so there are two reasons that the vulva is swollen, one is she may not have been spayed properly and the other is that she has adrenal disease.

Is your ferret also losing hair? Is your vet ferret knowledgeable? Has he suggested surgery or treating her with Melatonin or Lupron? You will need to do something, as it sounds like she probably has an infection because the vulva is so swollen and bacteria has entered in. Until you can see your vet and discuss your options try soaking your ferret's lower half in a bowl of 1 part vinegar with 10 parts water, splashing it into her vulva, it will help for now. If she does have an infection you may need to put her on an antibiotic, get her to the vet asap!

QUESTION:
Hi there me and my partner recently bought a ferret at the age of 5 months. She is a right little character, however I am quite worried about her as she looks quite swollen around the private area and have noticed that she is leaking and leaving a trail of clear fluid??? Could this mean she is pregnant or could she have an infection of some sort?? I've had a look on the net for some signs of ferret pregnancy but couldn't find anything. If you could give me any sort of advice i would be very grateful.

ANSWER:
What country are you in? If your ferret has not been spayed then it sounds as if she is in heat, the vulva swells when in heat! A female can start her heat at 4 months and you either have to breed her or get her spayed. If you do not spay her she most likely will die from aplastic anemia.