From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2008-05-14 20:25:50 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Adrenal Treatments
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Some vets have reported truly excellent results
from Lupron treatment. They seem to be mostly
in the northern portion of the U.S. so if that is a
real thing and not just an impression multiple
people have then it especially makes sense that
Catherine Johnson-Delaney has expanded the
locations within which she is following treatment
with this drug to see if latitude (light exposure
levels?) may affect outcome. Dr. Bob Wagner of
Pitt also has studies out on its use.
**** I have my own question: I need to find out
how the 3 and 4 month depots vary from the one
month -- if they just having higher mg levels or if
something else differs from the one month version.
Our 5 year old Whizbang has problems with her
right adrenal but is not a great surgical candidate
due to a history of her tissues giving out around
sutures. She may still need surgery if her mesentery
nodes are still up on ultrasound tomorrow now that a
infection has been brought under control but otherwise
we'll go the Lupron route with her.
The vet is a long distance away and we are careful observers
so a longer depot makes more sense in our case. ****
Meanwhile, the most recently released adrenal
study seems to be this one on surgeries:
BEGIN QUOTED ABSTRACT
J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2008 May 1;232(9):1338-43.
Long-term outcome of domestic ferrets treated
surgically for hyperadrenocorticism: 130 cases (1995-2004).
Swiderski JK, Seim HB 3rd, MacPhail CM, Campbell TW,
Johnston MS, Monnet E.
Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary
Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University,
Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the long-term survival rate and
factors that affect survival time of domestic ferrets treated
surgically for hyperadrenocorticism. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective
case series. ANIMALS: 130 ferrets with hyperadrenocorticism that
were treated surgically. PROCEDURES: Medical records of ferrets
surgically treated for hyperadrenocorticism were reviewed. Data
recorded included signalment, duration of clinical signs prior to
hospital admission, CBC values, serum biochemical analysis results,
anesthetic time, surgical time, concurrent diseases, adrenal gland
affected (right, left, or both [bilateral]), histopathologic diagnosis,
surgical procedure, caudal vena caval involvement (yes or no),
postoperative melena (yes or no), days in hospital after surgery,
and whether clinical signs of hyperadrenocorticism developed after
surgery. RESULTS: 130 ferrets were entered in the study (11 of 130
ferrets were admitted and underwent surgery twice). The 1- and
2-year survival rates were 98% and 88%, respectively. A 50% survival
rate was never reached. Combined partial adrenal gland resection
with cryosurgery had a significantly negative effect on survival time.
No other risk factors were identified. Survival time was not significantly
affected by either histopathologic diagnosis or specific affected adrenal
gland (right, left, or bilateral). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE:
Ferrets with adrenal gland masses that were treated surgically had a
good prognosis. Survival time of ferrets with hyperadrenocorticism
undergoing surgery was not affected by the histologic characteristic
of the tumor, the adrenal glands affected (right, left, or bilateral), or
complete versus partial adrenal gland resection. Debulking was a
sufficient surgical technique to allow a favorable long-term outcome
when complete excision was not possible.
END QUOTE
You will find a LOT about adrenal disease and adrenal disease
complications in the FHL Archives:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
and may want to refine a search by using multiple terms such as
adrenal +Lupron +surgery
in the CONTENT (not subject) of the posts
or may want to refine by looking for posts from only specific addresses
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "Betty Yerger" <byerger@...> wrote:
>
> I have always thought the treatment of choice was surgery, especially for
> male ferrets. Recently two of my boys are presenting hair loss, and my
> veterinarian is now recommending the combination of melatonin and lupron
> instead of going to surgery based on new information regarding the results
> of this type of treatment. Since I lost a ferret approximately two years
> ago who blocked from adrenal disease which did not present the classic
> symptoms (He had tumors in the adrenal gland, liver, and prostrate, I am
> anxious to use the most effective treatment method. What is considered the
> most effective treatment at this time? Prior to treatment, one boy was bald
> across the shoulders and near the tail as well as the tail. The other only
> shows hair loss on the tail, but the hair is quite coarse which was not his
> normal texture.
>
>
>
> Betty
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
------------------------------------
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