From:
"irene_kuik2001"
Date: 2008-01-12 04:31:42 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Finasteride and Prednisilone Questions Please
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
> I do not want to make you worry, nor panic, but I will share a
quick story of mine with you and others. I live in Ontario, Canada,
so if you happen to live there also, please let me know right away as
you will understand when I am done.
I had just adopted 4 ferrets and was very very new to all of this.
One of the ferrets was very aggressive and a biter, so I was told to
take her into the vet and have her looked at immediately for possible
adrenal disease. Green and stupid as I was, I was referred to a
supposed "ferret specialist", who diagnosed her within minutes of
having adrenal disease because she felt the vulva was a little larger
then normal. Surgery was set for the following day and removed.
18
months later, which was just 3 months ago, she would not use her hind
legs and was dragging herself around, other then when she had to
urinate or do the other. After 2 different vets looked at her, we
were able to rush her to the X Hospital and other then
finding out she had Lymphoma, we also found out she had both adrenal
glands still inside of her. The vet that preformed the surgery took
out a lymphnode instead of the adrenal gland (the hospital seems to
feel) and said that this sometimes happens in error by vets.
I
immediately had the other ferret looked at that had the surgery done
just prior to the adoption (since she was the same vet that
supposedly took that one out) and sure enough, he had both glands
still inside of him also. I had to call the rescue shelter
immediately, only find out that they had a handful of very sick
ferrets that also had gone to the same vet, but were very ill and
dying on them.
It looks like this particular vet had no idea what an
adrenal gland even looked like and was taking out the wrong thing. My
current vet said its not completely unusual and has been done before
and that is why its very important for a vet to set the gland out for
testing after surgery to insure he got the actual gland out. I am not
sure that any of you have had a similar situation, but in Canada, we
are so limited as far as who has experience dealing with exotic
animals and ferrets are only starting to grow in numbers now. I had
to share my story as I would hate to think your ferret may still have
a bad gland inside of her and that it may have never been removed.
Again, I do not want to scare you or cause any panic in anyone, as I
could have just been that one in million that hit a really stupid
vet, but just incase, I felt it was important I share my story with
you.
Irene
[Moderator's Note: Also remember that if adrenal tissue is incompletely removed it will regrow, and that could be the case with some of those ferrets.]
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