From:
Caitlyn Martin
Date: 2003-07-23 00:13:48 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] if it's Adrenal Disease/part 2
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-Id: <20030722171348.47bed6e8.whiteweasel@earthlink.net>
Hi,
Of the 10 ferrets we've had in our home over the past six years a total
of six have had adrenal disease. All have had at least one surgery, and
two (Pertwee and Ryo-Ohki) had two surgeries. So... I think we have
some experience. Our vet is one that is very well known and has treated
ferrets for 30 or more years.
*IF* he is 100% sure that he is dealing with adrenal disease he goes
ahead and does surgery. If there are some signs but he feels it is very
early in the progress of the disease he will wait, as Cookie's vet is
waiting, until the progress of the disease is obvious. One month is not
unreasonable.
*IF* the hair grows back he will NOT do surgery if there are no other
clear, obvious adrenal symptoms. He believes sometimes adrenal tumors
become active, then subside, then become active again. The disease
doesn't go away, mind you, but the tumor might, in his opinion,
*temporarily* shrink. If he can't see which gland to take he will take
none at all. He does not believe in the old idea of taking the left if
in doubt any more. He does not want to unnecessarily create an
Addisonian ferret, with all the problems that can cause, by taking the
wrong gland.
We saw this with Nyssa who lost hair and had a slightly swollen vulva,
then it all went away, then came back, then went away, then came back.
The third time the swelling in the vulva was more pronounced and the
hair loss was more obvious. Then, and ONLY then, months later, did
he do surgery. It was an adenoma, and Nyssa is fine two years later.
Yes, there is a risk in waiting IF it's an aggressive carcinoma. Most
adrenal tumors aren't, and in the ferrets that had carcinomas there were
symptoms that were clear. Mind you, that doesn't mean hair loss.
Romana never lost any hair but had a swollen vulva and lost weight.
Pertwee was hyper, aggressive, and lost weight, but hair loss only
showed up at the very end. You can't judge adrenal disease just by one
symptom because not all symptoms show up in all ferrets.
So, my educated lay person's answer to the question: IF Cookie's hair
grows back, and if Cookie has no other symptoms (aggressiveness, sexual
behavior, weight loss, difficulty urinating, itchiness), and if my vet
said wait, yes, I'd wait. We have had two false alarms on adrenal where
hair loss and/or weight loss proved to be something else, and in both
cases something minor that didn't need surgery. Our vet does NOT rush
to surgery until he is SURE he is dealing with adrenal.
Having said that, there are two symptoms that will cause a ferret with
adrenal in our vet's care to have surgery ASAP: a clearly swollen vulva
in a female or difficulty urinating (enlarged prostate) in a male.
I hope I didn't overload you with information. I don't know what I'd do
in Cookie's case since I haven't seen him and don't know how much has
changed in him. I just hope I am giving you some idea of how to judge
what is going on.
As always, I am not a vet, just someone who spends way too much at the
vet's office.
All the best,
Caity and the non-stop nine
(back with all my ferts at the end of the week :)