Very briefly, my inquiries into adrenal disease in Australia has shown the
following:
 
Adrenal disease has been present in ferrets in New South Wales and South
Australia for "many" years (given that they have only become popular as
pets, as opposed to disposable working animals in Australia over the last
12-15 years, this could mean it has always been present).  It does appear
that the disease is being diagnosed and treated because of growing
knowledge rather than an increase in numbers and it is still considered to
be a rare disease.  While South Australian ferret owners report an increase
in the number of cases there, only the next few years will tell if this is
so.
 
I am still waiting for some vets and clubs from interstate to get back
to me so I don't have any numbers to quote at this stage so this post can
only be considered as anecdotal but I think that from now on I will mainly
concentrate how, or if, the story progresses here in Western Australia.  If
the disease does increase here, it could be a rare opportunity to study its
spread.
 
We have our first two diagnosed cases of adrenal disease here in Western
Australia and now begins the search for a vet who feels confident and
knowledgeable enough to perform the surgery.
 
Patches is a 7 year old little girl who, apart from major hair loss, is in
very good health On behalf of Patches' owner, may I ask any FMLers whose
ferret has had successful adrenal surgery, if they really had a significant
number of quality years added to their ferret's life.  From many of the
posts, it seems that only 2 more years are being gained before the ferret
dies of another disease (usually lymphosarcoma).  Have I got a skewed
picture here?  Keep in mind that by our standards, at 7 years old, Patches
is in her prime of life and is not considered elderly.
 
Thank you in advance for any hopeful info.
Love & Dooks
Shirley
[Posted in FML issue 3396]