From:
AFERRETVET@cs.com
Date: 2001-03-10 19:14:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] RE: Lupron
Yes, Mike you hit the nail on the head.
Lupron stops the stimulation to the adrenal gland(s)
that causes the adrenal gland hyperplasia/cancer. That is
how it also prevents the overproduction of adrenal hormones
when it is used to treat adrenal gland hyperplasia/cancer.
If you simply remove one gland and you do not address
the underlining problem that caused the hyperplasia/cancer
in the first place then the remaining gland is still at risk.
What happens a lot of the time is, the left gland is removed
around 3.5-4.5yrs of age then 6-18 months later the problem returns.
Now you have an older, higher risk ferret for a higher risk surgery
(removal of the right gland). I would rather use Lupron to prevent
the right from becoming a problem in the future.
Jerry Murray, DVM