From:
Shirley Hewett
Date: 2002-03-08 02:10:00 UTC
Subject: Adrenals in Australia
Sukie wrote:
> Also, has anyone heard anything
>more about that isolated pocket of adrenal growths in
Australia? I
>believe that a vet is following those or that a club is
interacting
>with a researcher to see if the long-term spread pattern
meshes with
>a possible viral component.
As best as can be found, the report of a pocket of adrenal
growths in Australia appears to be the product of an
over-enthusiastic vet treating all types of hair loss as
adrenal problems. While I have not been able to contact the
vet in question, our vet informs me that a mass free autopsy
on all ferrets who died in Australia over a year (mainly
around Sydney, where the necroscopies were performed) failed
to find any evidence of adrenal disease at all. From reports
from other Ferret Associations and our own Western Australian
Ferret & Ferreting Society ( WAFFS) it appears that adrenal
disease in Australia occasionally shows up in ferrets over 7
years old. WAFFS have had 3 adrenal ops done on 7 & 8
year-olds so far, with excellent results.
For a long time we were hopeful that we had a population to
study for the cause and spread of this disease but it simply
did not happen. The general consensus among vets and clubs is
that adrenal disease in Australia is an occasional disease of
older ferrets, and is not increasing but is being diagnosed
more often because of increased knowledge.
Please, if any other Australian subscriber to FHL has any
different information, let us know.
Love & Dooks
Shirley in Australia