From:
julie_fossa@yahoo.com
Date: 2006-07-08 19:18:29 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] RE: Medication check in
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Shannon, please be very careful lowering the meds that keep him stabilized. Much can depend upon if there are any adrenal cells remaining, his metabolism, daily stresses and his general health. Rocky can be fine for lunch and collapsed two hours later, looking like he is headed for the Rainbow Bridge. I will share some of my experiences.
I had one little male on supplemental meds, and over time, he started loosing his hair. I figuring he must have adrenal tissue acting up. I successfully weaned him off his Pred and Florinef. He went on, at age 7, to have a third adrenal surgery -bilateral- where pathology confirmed he had two more adrenal tumors. (both were malignant)
In another case, I lost a female several years ago from Addison's. While her sodium:potassium 'ratio' was ok with each blood test, both values were a little low, so no supplements were prescribed. By the time I got the medication, I only got one dose into her and she passed. This ferret's decline happened over the course of 3 weeks.
Another bilateral male I had required a full tablet of Florinef along with the pred to keep him stable. I could not reduce his Florinef without him having trouble.
I'm fighting to keep another bilateral boy alive right now -and he does have adrenal cells that looked healthy, left intact in hopes that he may not need supplements for life. He has been on 1/2 tab Florinef and 0.2 mg of pred. He was stable, no meds changed, not dehydrated, eating well, and playful. The only thing I noticed is that he got tired sooner than his playmates and would go back to bed earliest, but he is also older. He also has been having trouble with loose stools.
Two hours after he ate Thursday morning, he crashed. I didn't think he would live the two hours until I was able to get him to his vet appointment. I didn't even think Addison's at first, but we upped his meds, just in case. Several consultations with two vets and two 2.5 mg Percorten injections later, he is coming around. At this point, I suspect he wasn't absorbing the medication due to the loose stools causing rapid transit time.
You cannot predict Rocky crashing, and even a blood test checking the ratio won't guarantee it won't happen. If it happens slowly, you might be able to pick up on it and adjust the meds again. If he crashes hard, and you aren't home, or if it's in the middle of the night, it might have a totally different outcome. Plus, it is not easy to pull a little ferret through an Addisonian Crisis.
I just want you to be very careful and alert to anything going on if you do decide to adjust his medications. Get his blood checked for the Na:K ratio, and make sure each value is what it is supposed to be, and not just that the ratio is ok -Ask! Sorry I can't help you know how low you can go on the pred and still be safe. Each ferret is different.
There are a number of posts in the archives that are helpful. If you want more info, contact me offlist. I am not a vet, just sharing my experiences.
Julie
Author wrote:
> I posted a while ago about Rocky, who had adrenal surgery to remove both adrenal glands. He is recovering very well and is taking 1/4 of a 0.1 mg fludrocortisone tablet and 0.3 cc of 5mg/5ml prednisolon once per day. I am wondering about being able to decrease the amount of prednisolon- I remember reading a post that talked about decreasing prednisolon if the ferret was energetic and doing well. I have decreased it from 0.5 cc, but am not sure how low it would be OK to go. Thanks for any help.
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