Physical examination is an important part of diagnosing adrenal gland disease. Diagnosis typically is suspected based on clinical signs because there are few other diseases in ferrets that exhibit the same group of symptoms. In clinical cases, the urine cortisol:creatinine ratio has not been shown to be useful to diagnose this disease. Since cortisol concentrations rarely are elevated due to this disease, blood tests such as an ACTH stimulation test and low or high dose dexamethasone tests will not diagnose this disease either.
At present, the best way to diagnose this disease definitively, short of doing exploratory surgery, is with a specialized blood test called an adrenal androgen panel offered by the University of Tennessee. Ferrets with adrenal gland disease have elevated plasma concentrations of androgens and/or estrogens. A baseline plasma sample should be taken to measure androgen and estrogen concentrations. Elevations of these hormones may indicate the presence of adrenal gland disease. An ultrasound of the abdomen may show an enlarged adrenal gland -- also confirming the presence of this disease.
