From:
"irene_kuik2001"
Date: 2008-01-20 01:17:42 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: adrenal disease
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, Virginia McGee <vkmcgee2@...>
wrote:
>
> Hi everyone,
> I've read all the posts that have come though lately on adrenal
disease. I think I understand the symptoms.
> loss of hair
> loss of energy
> loss of apatite
> I think one email mentioned that they can get bigger on the bottom?
> Is this right? I looked in the files and didn't see anything
specificly on adrenal disease.
> What kind of treatments are there for this disease?
> We don't have knowledgeable vet care here in my town.
> I've got an appointment in a town about 75 miles away next week in
a clinic and with a vet that has treated ferrets.
> I'd like to know though, what kind of questions should I ask.
> What kind of treatments there are. Is there anything I should read
to make sure this new vet knows what he is doing?
>
> Virginia
>
> Laugh a little,
> Cry a little,
> Live by the code of the west,
> and don't forget to look out for the unexpected.
>
> I am currently dealing with the adrenal disease and the first sign
I noticed with mine was the loss of fur on his tail. The appetite
never changed and he still eats like a horse....lol. There was
definitely NO loss of energy either. He is full of life like no other
ferret I have and even with the adrenal disease, nothing in his
energy level has changed at all. We took him in to be checked because
of his tail and we noticed when we were at the vet that in the bright
light, there were parts of his skin that we could see thru this coat.
It was very patchy, but you could really see that in the bright
light, something we missed at home. You will have a few option,
although I am from Canada and they have not approved the inplants and
it looks like they will not approve it from what I have been told.
Currently, we offer the surgery and the Lupron shots and for the life
of me, I still do not know which is the better way to go. You will
probably get a mixed answer even on here, as many people will offer
many opinions on what they believe in most. I actually emailed a good
30 shelters in the US a few weeks back and got such a variety of
answers, that not even I could give you a straight answer. The only
thing I will offer you is the opinion of the vet that runs the huge
hospital and University in one of our cities and actually teaches and
trains each person who is looking to become a vet. I had the
opportunity to debate this issue with him personally and it gave me
lots to think about. He said that of all the ferrets he has done
surgery on, a large number of them have had to come back for a second
surgery on the other gland. He said that most of the signs are very
slow and it could take years for the caregivers/parents to notice
that their babies are sick again, but he said it actually starts
quite shortly after surgery and just slowly progresses. He is a huge
fan of Lupron and believes that it should be given a chance first
before any surgery is even considered as many respond well on it. In
my situation, I came to a fair agreement with Dr. X, who has
agreed to do the surgery if necessary. We are trying Lupron first and
giving it three months to see if anything is improving with our baby.
If after the third injection, the adrenal gland still shows abnormal,
then he is going to remove the gland, as I had originally wanted.
Vets want a good $1500 in Canada to do the surgery, where he has
agreed to do the surgery for $800, which is much less and helped us
pay for the Lupron in the three months we have agreed to. I can tell
you that in my opinion, although he is growing the fur back slowly,
he is now more tired and less active then he was before. I am
concerned the adrenal disease is progressively getting worse, but
again, he has only had two injections. I have to be patient and wait.
Loss of appetite and loss of energy may very well be signs with many
ferrets for adrenal disease, but there could be many other issues you
need to look at as well. Insulinoma is one, but its a sign to let you
know that something is not right either way and you need to get them
checked. That is the one thing I will most certainly say about
ferrets. When something goes wrong, I think we are given signs
quickly in comparison to other animals who could have cancer that has
spread thru out with not a sign at all. All my baby issues were given
to me with obvious signs from them that something was wrong and that
is the one think I can say we are lucky to have. I am sure some have
died unexpectedly with no signs, but over all, when you get to really
know your ferrets well, you yourself will know when something is not
right. Your gut will tell you and so will your little baby in one way
or another. Hope that helps,
Irene
>
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