Issue 37 urinary blockages were one of many topics:
 
 Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 08:56:09 -0500
 Subject: RE: blocked ferret
 
The most common cause of dysuria in male ferrets is cystic prostatic
disease arising from adrenal disease.  The mechanism is that the high
levels of estrogens secreted by the adrenal lesion (hyperplasia, adenoma,
carcinoma - they all do it) results in squamous metaplasia of the prostatic
glands, cyst formation, and compression of the prostatic urethra.  The
absence of crystals and the inability to void while being able to be easily
expressed strongly supports this assumption in this animal.  Atony is not
the problem, and the use of bethanecol is probably not indicated
 
In these cases, usually, you go in and take care of the adrenal disease.
However, I would suggest that the animal be hospitalized so that you can
flush him out and express the bladder until he becomes more of a surgical
candidate.
 
While surgery is the most effective way of dealing with the problem, there
are some medical options for non-surgical candidates that may help until
adrenal surgery can be performed.  Drugs that can be used to help shrink
the prostate are: Lupron (300-500 mcg/kg/month or 3 mg/kg every 4 months of
the depot product), Propecia/Proscar (finasteride)(1mg per day, decreasing
to 0.1mg/day as signs regress), Casodex (bicalutamide) - 5 mg/kg sid, or
Flutamide (sorry, don't have the dose handy.  With severe acute problems
such as this, you can combine Proscar and the monthly Lupron dosage, until
such time as you can address the adrenal problem.
 
If clinical signs of adrenal disease are not evident, ask the owner about
a return to "intact behavior" - aggressiveness, marking, mounting, etc.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, dVM
 
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[Posted in FML issue 3349]