From:
brandi.bassingerjakob@us.army.mil
Date: 2003-10-06 13:55:49 UTC
Subject: can I start melatonin? adrenal??
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <6287401.1065448549442.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
My 4yo male Sam has started showing some symptoms of adrenal disease, most noticed are excessive drinking and urination and marking with some grunting while urinating. He has also gained alot of weight since his insulinoma surgery in July and appears pear shaped. He has been examined, ultrasound, xrays and bloodwork by the vet, however, they are confused as to where to go from here. I just sent off serum to Tennesse for Adrenal profile and am also waiting for a urine cortisol/creatine ratio from the lab here in germany.
All of his bloodwork was okay except for a slight elevation of creatinine. His ultrasound showed an enlarged left adrenal and slight enlargement of the right adrenal as well as prostate.
My vets here are unsure where to go from here, as they have never dealt with an adrenal ferret before. I hope the tennessee panel gives us some verification. It may take some convincing of my vet to do surgery, although they only want to treat it medically. He is healthy, and can withstand surgery so I can't understand why they are dragging their feet?
Can I safely start with melatonin until the labwork comes back? What is a safe dose? I don't want to risk blockage since at times he appears to feel discomfort when urinating.
Since his stay at the vet last week, he seems slightly depressed and sleeps alot more. This also alarms me to his disease and the importance of treating it quickly.
Thanks for any advice you can give.
Brandi and Sam