From:
Steve Austin
Date: 2001-06-14 21:08:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] Adrenal Gland Tumor
I think that 3 years old is not old yet, average ferret
probably lives 7-8 years, although I have
heard 6years- still 3 is only like a 40 year old human. 70%
is not bad if we are talking about
a permanent cure. I would take that- since around 17% will
have a tumor on the opposite
adrenal sometime after surgery. I think it is definitely
worth a chance at that cure. If a year or
more go by, and the adrenal tumor pops up again, or a
different tumor, and now the ferret
is 5 or more - then it might be a different story.
If you are in an area that has other ferret experienced vets,
you might want to ask around,
especially at a ferret shelter and see who is good, and what
success rates they have.
Patty
On Thu, 14 Jun 2001 14:14:35 -0700 "Steve Forte"
<spforte@ia4u.net> writes:
Hi. I am new to this group.
I have a 3 year old Marshall Farm female. Six months ago
she began to loose hair at base of the tail and her vulva
enlarged. Two months ago her hair began growing back, but
vulva still enlarged. Now she has times of uncontrolled
urination. Seem to be typical Adrenal Gland Tumor symptoms.
She is a free roamer, fed high quality Ferret food, and is
currently very energetic.
I've taken her to a vet who says: I could expect surgery to
be only 70% successful in permanently curing this problem
because there are several things that could cause these
symptoms (e.g., left, right or both glands, size of tumor,
able to remove entire tumor, etc). At 3 years of age, she
is considered geriatric and I could expect other problems to
start occurring."
I don't want to put her through surgery if the odds are she
will only gain a little in longevity.
How long should I expect a female spayed free roaming well
fed ferret to live?
Any advise?
Thank you,
Steve