From:
Caitlyn Martin
Date: 2004-01-27 22:16:11 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] what causes adrenal disease?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-Id: <20040127171611.2888ac23@nyssa>
> I have had two ferrets euthanized due to adrenal disease
With all due respect I must ask: WHY? Six of the ten ferrets we have or have had came down with adrenal disease at some point in their life. In each and every case successful surgery was done. They lived for years afterward. Podo had a right adrenalectomy with vena cava ligation, the most difficult adrenal surgery, at age seven and a half. He's a happy and amazingly healthy nine year old today.
In those cases where a ferret cannot survive the surgery there are medical options (lupron, melatonin) that often provide excellent symptomatic relief.
I find it really, really hard to imagine a situation where I would euthanize a ferret just because of adrenal disease. They only situation I can think of is when an adrenal carcinoma metastasizes. Yes, we lost Ryo-Ohki this way so it does happen, but that is a rare situation indeed.
Adrenal disease is the most common major illness ferrets get. It is almost always treatable. Please, please, please don't euthanize a ferret just because they get adrenal disease. I'm very sure our vet wouldn't do it.
All the best,
Caity and the super seven