From:
Mike Janke
Date: 2001-10-31 10:34:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Adrenal Gland Disease
Adrenal disease can often result in prostate swelling which in turn
can cause a urinary blockage. This may cause more attempts at
urinating (as opposed to to your vet's somewhat confusing "more
urination") as the bladder may never be totally emptied or Chewy
having a constant feeling of having to go. This condition can become
life-threatening very quickly. It's something that really needs to
be treated one way or another.
While I might be hesitant to have adrenal surgery done on one of my
7.5 year old ferrets, and I do understand and respect the opinions of
the vets who feel that adrenal surgery even at this age is warranted,
having a spleen that is so large there is fear of rupture is another
story. I would seriously consider surgery in this case, assuming the
ferret was considered a good surgical candidate.
mike
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "Mary Alvarez-Cabreras"
<maa2039@m...> wrote:
> Thanks Mike, I completely understood what you meant about "not
being up to
> it". I first had a sonogram done on Chewy in 1999, which showed
that his
> left Adrenal gland was bigger than his right (he had no masses of
any
> kind). The Vet stated that Chewy would only lose more hair and
urinate
> more frequently, but in his opinion, there was no real need for
> surgery. In 2000, Chewy had lost alot more hair and his spleen was
a
> little larger but due to the fact that Ferrets last 5-7 years(so he
said!!)
> I really shouldn't push his luck. This year, his stomach is quite
large
> due to his spleen and I have seen him fumble with his hind legs at
least
> twice. The Vet said that I should just enjoy Chewy and the time
that I had
> left with him. When I asked, what can be expected of Chewy's
progressing
> illness, he said more urination and possibly his spleen will burst