From:
"Jeff"
Date: 2011-06-20 06:37:28 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Prostate removal? Stricture correction? Other?
To: <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
I would be very leery about having any surgery performed on an 8 year old ferret, especially an involved surgery such as this. It's not only the surgery itself, but the strain on the heart and the demands on the body during the recovery period. My guess is that his chance of survival would be small.
The poops you describe --- strings, smears, beads--- are all consistent with blockages, either partial or nearly total. The barium xray might help locate and give some idea as to the size of the blockage. Have you tried ferretlax or similar type of product to help loosen and hopefully eliminate a possible blockage? If he eats some kind of soup, you can also add extra plain pumpkin to it to help facilitate cleaning out the digestive tract.
I would be very concerned that with all of the straining and pain he's in, that he might also prolapse his anus.
Did your vet say why he put in half of a Deslorelin implant? I've never heard of this before, and I'm not even sure how someone could cut one in half to begin with. Is it possible that he means he put in a 4.7 mg implant rather than the larger implant? The 4.7 mg is the proper one for ferrets. I've seen Deslorelin implants do wonders in two of my boys at getting an enlarged prostate back to normal in just a week, and they didn't even need the other meds like propecia (finasteride). I don't know how your vet can say that his prostate problems have nothing to do with his adrenal disease... was that explained to you?
Your ferret has lived a relatively long life (by today's standards), and it may be best to try non-surgical approaches to whatever reasonable extent possible. There does come a time when that's what is in their best interest, and perhaps that's what your vet was trying to convey. Focus on locating and hopefully clearing out the blockage, and on trying to get his prostate as healthy as you can. These things will provide him with the most pain relief, and then perhaps you can take him off of the pain meds.
Jeff
In Loving Memory of Neo, Trinity, Morphy, Possum, Pip, Pop, Sabrina, Minnie Mouse, Hunny, Misty, Frodo, Baggins, and Mr. Parker
Caring for Luna, Baby Girl, Dozer, Boomer, and Zoomer
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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