From:
AFERRETVET@cs.com
Date: 2009-07-15 00:52:07 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re:Treatment for adrenal ferret
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Hi Sherry
What is the best way to treat adrenal gland disease in
a ferret? That is a good question! There are 2 main options:
surgically or medically, and both have pros and cons.
Surgery Pros: completely remove the gland and it can never
enlarge and become a giant tumor, the vet can check the liver,
spleen, pancreas, lymph nodes, GI tract, and prostate (in males)
for any other problem (insulinoma, lymphoma, hairballs, prostate
cysts/abscesses, etc), both glands can be removed if both glands
are involved.
Surgery Cons: cost, risk from anesthesia/surgery, if only one gland is
removed the remaining gland can (and usually does) become a problem
in the future (6-18 months), if you remove both glands completely then
you create an Addison's ferret that needs supplementation (pred and
percortin
or florinef) for the rest of its life, if the vet can not remove all of the
right gland
the clinical signs will remain or will return after the surgery.
Medical treatment Pros: safe, low cost initially, good results most of the
time, can adjust and increase dose or add additional meds as needed.
Can be used before surgery to improve the condition of the ferret.
Should be used after surgery: if only 1 gland is removed to treat/prevent
the
problem in the remaining gland, or if all of the gland was not removed.
Medical treatment Cons: has to be used for the rest of the ferrets life,
can be more expensive over time, some glands will continue to enlarge
(carcinomas) and become a giant tumor (fist size), some cases do not
respond well to medical treatment, requires frequent monitoring of the
ferret.
As you can see there are alot of things to consider before deciding how to
treat
an adrenal ferret. In general surgery is recommended for younger ferrets,
and
medical treatment is recommended for older ferrets or for ferrets with
medical
problems that would make anesthesia and surgery a high risk (heart disease,
lymphoma, etc). Remember if you only remove one gland during surgery then
it
is a good thing to treat the ferret medically after the surgery to
treat/prevent the
remaining gland from become a problem in the future.
Hope that helps,
Jerry Murray, DVM
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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