From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2001-02-28 02:24:00 UTC
Subject: Kelly and adrenals
Kelly, there are multiple resources to help you and your vets learn
more about adrenal growths. Here are some:
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.ferretdoctor.com (through which your vet can also acquire
a marvelous instructional video tape)
http://ferretcentral.org Scroll down opening page for Health Care
contacts and also go to
http://ferretcentral.org/faq/index.html#med_index
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc and use the search box if need to
http://www.ferret.org
and
faiml@s...
Did your vet have pathology done on the growth? Some skip it because
it is an extra expense, but it really makes sense to have tissues
tested by a ferret-knowledgeable pathologist so that things worse
than a neoplasia can be ruled out.
How did the other adrenal look? It could be that both were involved,
though only one came out. Did the vet check for a possible uterine
stump or other reproductive tissue (which sometimes can be very hard
to find)? From our personal experiences retained reproductive tissue
is less likely in an animal which has gone several years with no
signs of it.
Many vets do not know that there are many surgical options for
ferrets with adrenal growths, including removing both when that is
needed and then providing either Florinef or an alternative -- which
skips my mind at this moment but it's Per-something, as well as
Prednisone. By having the two the missing adrenal products essential
for life can be supplied long term. Our most rambunctious ferret is
without adrenals and gets her medications twice a day with fine
results.
There is also the possibility that you may get off easily and she
might have a vaginal infection. It would not hurt to discuss the
idea with your vet and try some antibiotics just in case. We have
encountered that.
Vets are in a hard position. Many universities simply do not supply
much training about ferrets so they need to learn on their own
despite busy schedules.
Try making her crunchies available at any time; it is not unusual
post-surgically for a ferret to eat them in secret for a while.
I think that in your case, with surgery so recently, I'd likely have
the vets have the Tennessee Adrenal Panel run. If that indicated
adrenal disease then you could decide between using Lupron for a
while and then operating in a few months (since she is in the prime
of life and Lupron is not a cure), or just having the surgery right
away.
>
> From: kfor651676@a...
>Subject: Help Adrenal Tumor or Ovarian Remnent
>
> Hi Everyone,
>I tried to post this last night and failed. Hope this one works. I am
>excited about this new list. I have a female ferret, Ellie. She is about
>3yrs. She had surgery about 6wks ago to remove her left adrenal. The vet
>said the tumor was hypertrophy. She has not eaten kibble since. She has no
>real interest in food, but will eat duck soup with a little encouragement
>(her reg. food mixed with chicken BF). She gained a lot of weight the first
>two weeks after surgery. She was 1.8, now 2.4. I feed her slightly less
>than 90ccs. per day is that too much? I only feed her three times per day
>due to my work schedule. She does not have an ulcer, she is not lethargic.
>In the past two weeks her vulva has become swollen. She did not have this
>symptom previously. We have two separate vets, but they don't know of the
>swollen vulva yet. They are fabulous people, but are not the most ferret
>knowledgeable. The not eating kibble was odd to me, but know the swollen
>vulva? They did the surgery based on alopecia and an ultrasound. Could it
>also be a remnant? I don't want to put her through another surgery! I
>really need some advice.
>Thanks,
>Kelly