Message Number: SG10300 | New FHL Archives Search
From: "Sue Liszewski"
Date: 2004-08-29 04:19:55 UTC
Subject: RE: [ferrethealth] Urea/Creatinine/Cortisol for adrenal conclusions
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <BAY15-F33VmFxlgsJh80009e1b3@hotmail.com>

If you could find a vet to do the surgery I would focus your money there
because I think that is what you are dealing with. If you continue to test
and he is straining he could block in the meantime and then it is emergency
sugery and that is not great. Your other option is the Lupron injections
but these are pretty costly too. And about your questions on the tests
mentioned, no I don't think they will give any answers. You could have your
vet draw the blood and send in for the Tenn Panel yourself this might save a
bit and give you accurate results. You can check with the Univ of Tenn on
what you need for the testing and how to send. Has an x ray been done to
eval the prostate? This could give you an answer too, if the prostate is
enlarged you are dealing with adrenal, unless he is intact in which case
some of the hormones are coming from there. I know you mentioned he is a
breeder, so this might complicate diagnosis that way but it is still a good
bet. Also if he is prob not good to breed any longer either.

Hope you find a way to resolve everything soon and have a way to find the
right vet for you and your kid. I don't agree that he is too old. Any vet
schools near you that look at ferrets that you could go thru? Best of luck.

Dr. Sue

>From: sweetcathie@hotmail.com
>Reply-To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
>To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
>Subject: [ferrethealth] Urea/Creatinine/Cortisol for adrenal conclusions
>Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2004 03:13:12 +0100 (BST)
>
>Thanks Dr. Sue for your advice on how to get some urine sample in an easy
>way. I posted the other day about that Gigio my 5.5 y/o little ferret seems
>to have to strain a bit while urinating. I mentioned that about a year and
>a half ago I got adrenal panel results of him that I wanted to have as a
>reference at that time for the future, and in that moment the estradiol was
>already 209 pg/ml when the reference range that I have in the lab sheet is
>30-180 pg/ml, the androstenedione was 12.2 nm/l and the 17
>hydroxyprogesterone was 0.24nm/l both within range. I suspect that he may
>have been developing adrenals but here in Mexico city I haven't been able
>to find a lab that perform this tests with a low amount of plasma, they ask
>me for two mililiters of whole blood for each hormone!
>The vet that is seeing Gigio that is also a breeder, took this morning a
>small blood sample (0.5 cc) to perform the urea/creatinine/cortisol
>analysis, claiming that if the cortisol is out of range it will evidence
>adrenals and renal failure. He is also going to test T4 to see if the
>tyroid gland has been damaged due to high cortisol. Here is when I feel so
>dumb and angry at myself, because in all the time that I have been reading
>the ferret health list I don't recall having read that cortisol is a way to
>test for adrenals in ferrets, I guess I did not react because I was
>confused as I was originally told by the vet that we will do an adrenal
>panel and I assumed we has going to test sex hormones, and then Gigio was
>struggling so hard to not have his neck shaved that I lost focus. I must
>have said something despite everything anyway... Now I guess that whatever
>comes out of the urea/creatinine/cortisol and T4 analysis I would not be
>able to conclude anything right?
>If I have his estradiol(only) tested and knowing how it was more than a
>year ago to compare, will be a better thing to do? Please give me your
>advice. And I am also left down for the words of the vet that said that
>Gigio is already too old for surgery at his 5 years and 4 months and that
>he would not recommend me to perform a surgery on him, and this guy is
>supposed to be the one that knows most about ferrets in the city! I guess I
>will have to work overtime and safe money and take Gigio to USA to have him
>operated...
>Thank you for your support and advice,
>Caterina.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>--
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>
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