Message Number: YG7099 | New FHL Archives Search
From: More Ferrets?!?
Date: 2001-09-07 23:30:00 UTC
Subject: adrenal vs. remnant

Regarding the possibility of an ovarian remnant - these are
rare
enough that most clinicians have never seen one, but only
heard of
them. Because the large ferret producers are so efficient
with
neutering, most of the ovarian remnants are actually seen in
ferrets
that were neutered later in life by vets. I have had many
submitted,
but only one was ever diagnosed - all the rest were lymph
nodes,
little bits of fat, etc. The ovarian remnant is stuff of
legend, but
probably is only seen in less than 1% of ferrets with evidence
of
swollen vulva - it's almost always adrenals (again in this
case.)

With kindest regards,

Bruce H. Williams, DVM
Join the Ferret Health List at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-
Health-list


the only cases of ovarian or uterine remnant i've experienced
have been in "large ferret producer" ferrets. a quick check
in with the michigan shelters will throw some hard facts up
against "stuff of legend" by revealing several cases of "left
overs" causing trouble for critters.

the most "interesting" case - if you want to look at it that
way - was in a critter surrendered to my partner shelter this
year. i suppose the original intent was to spay the
girl...but amazingly the uterus and ovaries were left
completely alone, while ONE KIDNEY was removed. okie
dokie...so someone doing the cutting mistook a kidney for an
ovary...why not head on over to the other side and remove the
other one? absolutely ridiculous.

then there was my sophie. she had a little round piece of
tissue located right where an ovary should be when doc went in
for adrenal surgery. turned out to be a piece of liver, most
likely knocked off by an old injury. she always was a silly
girl! :)