>I have a female ferret that is about 5 or 6 years old.  We tried to have
>both adrenal glands removed but one not removed.  About a month after the
>operation We noticed that her vulva was not decreasing in size so we
>started her on a Lupron and on the forth depot of 400 mg and 1 mg of
>Melatonin her vulva has decreased in size but she is losing hair along
>her back.  The reason I am writing this note to you is because you
>mentioned that it is only useful for a few months but I thought it
>blocked certain harmones all year round.
 
Dear X and XX:
 
Let me preface this by saying that there have been no studies in the use
of melatonin in ferrets with adrenal disease, and the conjecture that it
works is largely based on the research done on intact ferrets.  While
melatonin appears to decrease luteinizing hormone levels in a number of
species, and possibly in intact ferrets, no research has been published
on its use in neutered ferrets, which comprises the vast majority of
American pet ferrets.  A number of practitioners that I have discussed
the situation with suggest that they have found that melatonin rapidly
decreases in effectiveness when days become short.  This fact, combined
with the knowledge that ferrets normally secrete higher levels of
melatonin during times of short photoperiod, suggests that during the
summer time, the administration of additional melatonin may have a
therapeutic benefit in lowering LH levels, but in the winter, the
additional melatonin has no effect over the higher levels already
circulating as a result of the short photoperiod.
 
It's a theory based on anecdotal information, as is everything else we
currently know about melatonin.  I think, however, that most vets agree
that although cheap, melatonin is not a good treatment for adrenal
disease, lupron is better, but still flawed, and surgery remains the most
effective of all.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 3570]