Message Number: YG5855 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Trina
Date: 2001-07-28 10:19:00 UTC
Subject: Adrenal Surgery

Hello everyone. I'm a new member of the Ferret-Health-list
group and am still not sure of how it works. I am the owner
of 4 ferrets for about 3 years now. 3 are around 5yrs old and
the youngest is 3.5yrs old.

One of my 5yr old males is undergoing exploratory surgery for
adrenal gland disease and possible insulinoma. This is my
first experience with sugery on a pet and I have some
questions regarding post-operative procedures that I need to
take.
What preparations should I take for transporting him home?
Is his regular carrier going to be okay?
I assume I should keep him separate from the others
How do I keep him from scratching and/or biting at his
incision? (I have aloe plants, and most of you know, aloe
tastes horrible! As far as I know it's perfectly safe, plus
it aids in healing. What are your thoughts, or do you have
any other suggestions?)
I use is Yesterdays news recycled paper pellets for litter.
Will that be sufficient, or should I just have him use flat
newspaper on the floor?
Another question I have regarding the actual procedure is - He
had blood tests which showed low blood sugar which leads my
vet to believe there is a possible insulinoma situation. What
are the chances? Is this necessarily the case?

With the exception of a horrible episode of E.C.E. (I pulled
them all out of it - thankfully), they have all been healthy,
no surgeries. But they are getting up there in age and this
has been a fear of mine for quite some time.

I have not idea what to expect and any suggestions that you
can provide will be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks so much.

-Trina & Fuzzies (Kitty,Molly,Doja&Mixie)