Message Number: SG16558 | New FHL Archives Search
From: brettm@uga.edu
Date: 2006-02-15 14:25:29 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] RE: Melatonin implant warning from vet
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com

Author wrote:
> There are a few pros and cons, and one major con for promoting this: if
> the disease happens to be genetic for the ferret in question, as opposed
> to environmentally induced (by lighting), then the implants may not help
> that individual.

One thing to keep in mind is that "genetics is not fate", and any trait is influenced by
both genetics and environment. Genetic susceptibility and environmental trigger --
both are necessary. But, you're right that this isn't a magic bullet. The best we can
hope for is to reduce the incidence of adrenal disease, not eliminate it. Still sounds
good to me, though, if the reduction is dramatic! I don't really see this as a con,
since we can say the same thing about any treatment for any condition -- even
aspirin as a human headache remedy -- it may not help a particular individual. You
can't tell until you at least try.

> If I had the money all of mine would still be on melatonin.

Maybe the cost will come down as more owners become convinced to give this a try.
Perhaps someday shelters will be able to buy implants in bulk, or even form a
cooperative for the purpose of buying in quantity. Inventing a reusable implant gun
(as is used in livestock) would also help, since the implants would be cheaper if each
one wasn't packaged in a disposable syringe.

> Another con is that with melatonin implants, some say the symptoms of
> adrenal are masked if they get it anyway. I am confused on this point...at
> some point wouldn't you see hair loss if the implants were not helping?

My guess is that if the adrenal cortex becomes hyperplastic or neoplastic from
causes other than overstimulation by LH, then the melatonin would likely still
prevent those new cells from producing sex hormones, which cause the hair loss
and other symptoms. That's why the implants work in ferrets that are known to be
adrenal -- they don't cure the disease, but do mask the symptoms, leading to
extended lifespan and quality of life. I think it's a fair trade-off if the ferret is much
less likely to become adrenal in the first place. Thousands of ferrets who never
became adrenal would more than make up for one or two "secretly adrenal" problem
cases, IMHO.

Since we would only implant every 6 months instead of 3-4 months, perhaps some
symptoms would become noticable? I guess that's one of the unanswered questions
about using them prophylactically. The only way to answer it would be to find some
prophylactically-implanted ferrets that became adrenal anyway, which hasn't yet
happened AFAIK. (And wouldn't it be nice if it never did happen? B-)

Brett

*SLMW 1.0* Ferrets: A practical course in Chaos Theory.






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