From:
Bruce Williams, DVM
Date: 2001-08-01 16:04:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Bilateral Adrenal
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., katharine <shurcool@i...> wrote:
> >Dr. Williams mentioned in a post in March (see, I
>
> > really did search the archives) that 25% will do
>
> > fine on pred, 25% need pred and DOCP, and 50%
> > don't need anything. How do you make this
> > determination?
> the determination is made on the basis of clinical signs and lab
work. If the animal motors on without any problems after bilateral
adrenal suregery - in such cases it is probably not a true bilateral
removal, or the animal has abundant ectopic tissue - then it doesn't
need any medication post op. If the animal loses energy and crashes
after surgery, and the bloodwork shows that it is hypoglycemic,
prednisone alone may relieve the problems. Some animals if they are
part minority thatsecrete cortisol may have problems with
hypoglycemia after surgery. Prednsione is an effective agent for
raising blood glucose.
Finally if the animal crashes up to a month out from surgery, and the
Na:K ratio is abnormal - usually around 25, it suggests that the
animal suffers from mineralocorticoid deplation, and DOCP is used to
straighten out this electrolyte balance.
A close eye is reuqired in many cases to get the problems
straightened out.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP
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