Message Number: FHL2138 | New FHL Archives Search
From: "kestreljctn"
Date: 2007-08-08 03:08:37 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Adrenal, prostate, urinating trouble, lupron, antibiotics, not surgery candidate
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com

>>Bear right now is having adrenal issues again. His left was
removed three years ago. He'll be seven this October, so I don't know
right now if we want to go through surgery with him again or not. At
the moment, his prostate has become swollen. We took him in today
because he has been having trouble urinating. They took out 80 mls of
murky urine by needle and his face looked so much relieved. He
received a lupron shot and we have some amoxicillin in case any bugs
were festering in the pool.>>

So, June 30, one day after my original post above, we switched Bear to
Baytril for a month. He had 300 mcg of lupron June 29 and three
consecutive days of steroid shots to see if his prostate would get any
smaller. The vet removed 80 mls of urine on June 29 and then only
about 40 mls about a week later. He was started on chloramphenicol and
is finishing up his second and final week.

He just had his next does of lupron, 200 mcg, on August 4. The vet
removed 100 mls of urine this time (although I do suspect that he just
hadn't gone yet that morning. I woke him up and immediately took him
to the vet's and know he did not have a chance to pee. How large do
ferret bladders normally run?).

I thought he had been doing better. For a while, it seemed he was
peeing more in amount than he had been, for sure. She talked to me
about not fooling myself, that he should be peeing streams and not
dribbles. I am having a difficult time monitoring this. He is still
getting dribbles out, but no streams. When we first took him in (when
they removed 80 mls), his abdomen was very large, very firm, and his
eyes were squinty in pain. It was obvious to us. There was none of
that when I took him in on August 4 (when they removed 100 mls). I
know the bladder can distort when stressed, but how am I to judge this?

We're watching him this week to see if there is any improvement. The
vet does not think he is a good surgery candidate. She says she is out
of options for him.

I wanted any available feedback. If it's his time, that's fine. But
other than this, he is a happy guy, eating well, drinking well,
playful, alert. My biggest fear is that I am no longer able to monitor
his bladder size properly. What is my window for noticing signs of
kidney failure? I don't want him to be in any pain, but I don't want
to put him down yet if any of this might work.

I wonder if there is anything else to try, or at least, what I need to
keep my eye on, and how long I might have in terms of spotting any signs.

Thank you all,
Maureen, Pax, and Bear




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