From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2010-02-27 19:42:19 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Adrenal Disease or Something Worse???
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Usually adrenal disease is hyperplasia which literally means
"overgrowth". It can be neoplasia which means "new growth".
Neoplasia can be benign or malignant but even benign growths when in
adrenals can have many effects on ferrets including some potentially
fatal ones.
Now, ferrets sometimes have carcinoma or lymphoma based in an adrenal
or both. Unlike the pancreas where carcinoma usually kills most
rapidly and lymphoma second most rapidly compared to the more gentle
insulinoma, the growth types behave differently in the adrenals.
Carcinoma in an adrenal is sometimes somewhat responsive to deslorelin
implants (but typically not responsive to Lupron from what I have
read) and it quite often can be removed with curative results. On
the other hand, lymphoma based in adrenals can be extremely aggressive
though we had one who went an unusual 14 months with that.
One of my favorites, Morney, just got a deslorelin implant today (as
did another but he just has hyperplasia by all appearances) Morney is
totally unresponsive to Lupron, even at very high levels very close
together since her recent onset, and she is not a great surgical
candidate. Recently, she has begun having an off smell that I tend to
associate with malignancies, and on that score -- knowing that she
probably has a malignancy -- we've been hoping for carcinoma and that
the deslorelin will help. Her exam today today had results that are
usually more consistent with abdominal lymphoma, though, with her now
having a large left side abdominal mass after just a couple of weeks
since her last exam, her spleen is large and has uneven margins, and
there is a right mass which might be that adrenal if huge now but also
could be a kidney now diseased.
Like many ferrets with carcinoma or lymphoma based in an adrenal (or
two) she has rapidly -- and I mean very rapidly (just weeks) -- gone
from looking like a normal older ferret with some arthritis to one who
looks like a ferret who has had normal adrenal disease for a very
protracted time. She is mostly bald, her skin is thin, and she is
totally pear shaped with her thorax boney and her abdomen huge with
fat redistributed to there as well as the spleen larger and the tumor.
Surgery has the risk of reducing remaining lifespan if the cause is
lymphoma so we are skipping that because she seems more like one with
lymphoma in adrenal(s) than carcinoma.
So, just as pancreatic disease can be things that are worse than
insulinoma, so, too, can adrenal disease have causes that are worse
than standard adrenal disease. Having symptoms of multiple illnesses
might indicate multiple diseases or may be the same disease affecting
multiple places in the body. Given Mornie's abdominal mass we are
alert to the possibility that she may develop intestinal lymphoma as
well.
She's a darling, sweet as can be, and so trusting that she will put
her entire head into my mouth and lick off my molars. Luckily, she is
still playing well and often so far. If she comes to need it we'll
add pain meds, of course, and if it becomes clear that this is
lymphoma she will have an increase in steroids she is getting already
due to fully managed (so far) older age onset insulinoma, or perhaps
try a different approach. It's roaring through her right now in terms
of rapid, marked physical changes but not her behavior.
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
HAPPY: http://www.6footsix.com/my_weblog/2010/01/high-fives-for-happiness.html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
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