Message Number: YG12257 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Diane C. Wall
Date: 2002-04-04 09:07:00 UTC
Subject: Melatonin Question

I have a male neutered ferret aprox 3-4 years old who had
adrenal surgery February 3rd. His pre-surgery symptoms were
the aggressive behavior, mounting, ear sucking and hair loss
between his ears, tops of his feet and between the shoulder
blades and being itchy. He did extremely well after surgery
but his symptoms have persisted. I brought him back to the
vets last week for a follow up to be sure the other adrenal
was not acting up causing his symptoms to persist. We have
determined that this is not the case so far. Although almost
none of his fur has grown back and his symptoms have
persisted, the vet and I decided to give him another three
weeks before considering a shot of Lupron.

I read you recent post on the Ferret Health Digest where you
talked about giving the melatonin for ferrets to ease adrenal
symptoms. I bought liquid melatonin from The Vitamin Shoppe
nearby to try and help my little guy feel better. Since I am
not home 8 hours after sunrise, what else can I do to give him
the melatonin at another time. He comes out for in the
morning around 6:30 am for an hour and a half play time and
again after 6 pm when I come home from work. No one else is
home during the day. Also, how long should I give him the
melatonin and how long before I should notice a difference in
his behavior?

Any suggestions will be helpful.