From:
"Brett Middleton"
Date: 2006-02-08 17:58:27 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Melatonin implant warning from vet
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
I mentioned to my new vet, "Dr. X", that I was considering starting my
new ferret (Fizzbin, neutered male about 8 months old) on melatonin
implants as a possible preventative for adrenal disease. She consulted
with a specialist in exotic mammals, "Dr. Z", who wrote me to express
some concerns with this idea.
Dr. Z tells me that she can not in good conscience recommend using the
implants as a prophylactic, and claims that peer-reviewed journal
articles suggest adverse side effects that have not been adequately
studied. She included a copy of the May 2005 issue of "Exotic Mammal
Medicine and Surgery", which contains a peer-reviewed article by Dr.
Jerry Murray on the use of the implants in treating adrenal ferrets.
Her main complaint seems to be that the article gives short shrift to
side effects, and doesn't really prove that the implants are superior
to lupron. Dr. Murray's article is followed by a non-peer-reviewed
article by Dr. Cathy Johnson-Delaney in which she reports extreme
lethargy in an implanted adrenal female ferret, and suggests that the
implant dose may be too high for subjects under 600 g. The other non-
control subjects of her study were three intact, non-adrenal males.
Sukie has pointed out to me that Dr. Murray has already addressed the
issue of the lethargic female in a post on this list
(http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=SG15756). Furthermore,
speaking as a statastician myself, these sample sizes and compositions
do not imbue me with confidence in drawing inferences for a
prophylactic implant in a neutered, non-adrenal male of 1100 g.
However, the prophylactic benefits are really hypothetical at this
point, and it is true that ALL treatments have the potential for side
effects. We merely hope that the treatment is more deadly to the
target organism or runaway cell than to the animal. Yet, we do not
hesitate to use treatments prophylactically when the benefits are clear
(e.g., ivermectin or distemper vaccines), and perhaps we should not
hesitate when the risks seem very low.
So, does anyone care to offer opinions, pro or con, on whether I should
proceed with this plan, despite the current lack of scientific
validation? Fizzbin is at a good age to get him started on this if I'm
going to do it, and would need his first implant in a month or two.
Brett
*SLMW 1.0* He's not just a ferret, he's an adventure!
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