From:
"Barb Gustafson"
Date: 2002-08-16 02:47:32 UTC
Subject: Enlarged Prostrate - No Adr Glands left???
To: <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Message-ID: <000c01c244cf$474023a0$98cab8a1@ferts>
My vet has asked that I post here in the hopes that we might find some alte=
rnate options for treating my seven year old male ferret Boots. Boots has =
started having urination problems despite having both adrenal glands remove=
d. He has been diagnosed with "sterile pyuria". He is not straining yet =
but he is having frequent small bladder movements and is almost constantly =
dribbling. We have put him back on Lupron injections and my vet is looking=
into the possibility of obtaining a drug called Caxodex which apparently h=
elps to shrink the prostrate. The last resort as I understand it, is to pe=
rform surgery to create a new opening for the urine or to redirect is someh=
ow, which is not always successful or so I've heard.
We are hoping that someone might be able to suggest other options or other =
medications which are less expensive, easier to obtain, but still effective=
. =
A brief history: Boots had his left adrenal gland removed in Sept 98. His =
only symptoms at that time were a sour smell and weight loss. The histopth=
came back as "pheochromatocytoma". I have a copy of the report if require=
d. One year later (Dec 99) his hair started thinning across his shoulders=
and he developed an interest in the girlies. We elected to start him on L=
upron which he received monthly until March 2002. In March he started sho=
wing signs of Insulinoma and so we decided to do an exploratory. A partial=
pancreotomy was done and at the same time the vet also did cryo on the rig=
ht adrenal. In July 2002 he once again developed an interest in the girli=
es, only more so. He then started having the urination problems and within=
the last two weeks has had thinning hair again across the shoulders.
Boots is currently on 1ml of Pediapred once a day and 1/4 tab of Florinef d=
aily (which we are now cutting back to every other day). In addition we ha=
ve started him back on the Lupron. We would really appreciate any suggesti=
ons you might have.
P.S. I am going to cross post this to the FML as there are many knowledgea=
ble ferret owners there too.
Barbara Gustafson
Alberta Ferret Society
President