Message Number: SG7971 | New FHL Archives Search
From: filter_girl@lycos.com
Date: 2004-02-20 20:04:50 UTC
Subject: RE: adrenal recurrence
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <5218268.1077308668939.JavaMail.nobody@vanadium.smartgroups.com>

I have talked to a shelter owner who is VERY experienced with adrenal cases. She
told me that there is no way to know if the second gland will have to be removed.
Ususally, within a year or two, it will, but there are cases when that hasn't happened.
So, why not just remove both in one shot, even if only one is affected? Well, that is a
good question. I know this can hieghten the chances of addison's crisis occuring,
along with other health issues, such as insulinoma. The shelter owner I spoke to
said she got very good at picking out the symptoms right away and would get then
in for surgery ASAP. Well, it never really helped. She still was bringing them in for
2nd surgeries after 7 months, and sometimes that didn't even help. She found that
with her ferts, the 2nd surgery kids just as long, is not shorter than those wh never
got the second surgery and just controlled the symptoms with meds. Now, these are
with her kids, so who really knows until a concrete scientific study is done. I have
found to that some ferrets who don't have surgery done and just get meds live the
same if not longer those those who do have surgery and get meds. There are soooo
many different stories out there, and to tell you the truth, no one really knows. All
one can do is speculate.

I am facing this very problem with my very first fert, Edgar. He had his left adrenal
removed in august (the right, along with all other organs looked fine) and he is
showing symptoms again (mounting my girl missy and not letting go of her neck,
and his tail is loosing hair). It is a very frustrating situation. I have not decided on
doing a second surgery right now. The first adrena; was so small and hard to
remove in the first place, I can only imagine how his right would be.

Sorry I said so much, but this is a subject that hits close to home for me. I would do
anything for my little one.