From:
Caitlyn Martin
Date: 2003-08-04 14:11:50 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] IT IS ADRENAL DISEASE ...
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-Id: <20030804101150.072f6edf.whiteweasel@earthlink.net>
Hi, Linda,
Sit down and take a very deep breath.
Unless Cookie is having difficulty urinating adrenal surgery now is
almost certainly not a do-or-die thing. Three weeks probably won't make
a difference.
I understand you are stressed and worried about Cookie. Please make
sure he goes to the best, most experienced vet in your area when it
comes to doing adrenal surgeries. You need one who can handle it if the
problem is with the right gland, and one who can help you through the
special issues involved if both glands are affected. If that means
waiting three weeks then by all means wait.
You may want to take the time to go through the archives for posts on
adrenal disease. To summarize: about 80% of the time it's the left
gland, which is the relatively easy surgery for both vet and ferret. If
it's the right gland (about 15% of the time) it is attached to the vena
cava, the main vein to the heart. That requires a more difficult
procedure.
You only want the right done by someone who knows what they are doing.
Our vet has a success rate in excess of 95%, but he's been doing these
surgeries for years and does multiple ferret surgeries each and every
week. I've heard horror stories of vets where over half die. Rushing
Cookie into surgery is far less important than making sure that surgery
is done by the right person in the right place.
So... relax and take a deep breath, then go out and do your homework.
All the best,
Caity and the non-stop nine