>With regard to Lupron my understanding is this: thing about adrenal
>disease is that as often as not, it's not actually a disease of the
>adrenal, but of upstream control of the adrenal.
 
Actually, if memory serves, no, if you mean that these are the tail end
of a hormonal cascade with a primary disruptive growth elsewhere, but
yes if you mean that there may be impact from things like sterilization
or like too much light causes a decrease in melatonin production (given
some current hypotheses).  In ferrets these are PRIMARY adrenal neoplasia
usually, though sometimes something like lympho may appear there
secondarily.  In ferrets these tumors are initiators of a hormonal
cascade that can affect the prostate, though.  There are some fine posts
by vets, Jerry Murray, who also does endocrinolgy research, and by
others on this aspect in
 
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
and
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/
 
I recall that there long ago were questions if the there might be a
hormonal cascade originating elsewhere leading to them and that this had
been derived from human physiology and endocrinology, but have never
encountered anything that found this to be the case in ferrets as a
species which may not be a large surprise due to differences in the
problems between species.
 
If memory serves you will find info on this in the FML archives
http://listserv.cuny.edu/archives/ferret-search.html
for which I think veterinary pathologist Bruce Williams may be a primary
source, and in long-standing health websites like miamiferret, but take
the AGE of the info into account in each case as well as the source, and
for which species the statements apply.  If I recall right, there are
aspects which apply for humans that simply don't apply for ferrets.  Know
that is also true for dogs.  BTW, if memory serves most species tend to
have Cushingoid adrenal problems.  Ferrets have hyper-estrogenic ones.
 
I'm copying this note to Mike Janke since you used this link:
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/lupron.htm due to him possibly having
updated information.
 
>surgery may temporarily alleviate symptoms, but they will probably
>return, because the actual problem was not addressed.
 
In 20 years we have only two ferrets who had both adrenals involved
although we have had a number who had adrenal surgery: around half of our
ferrets, though I forget the actual percentage.  For us surgery has
obviously been very successful.  Although it is impossible to extrapolate
from one household we think that darkness has also been useful because we
have so few bilateral ones and because we have had only one early one (at
age 3).  You'll want to read some recent discussions here and in the
sites mentioned above on things like melatonin and darkness.  Again,
check into posts by vet, Jerry Murray, for this aspect as well.
 
Because there appear to be fewer cases of whole ferrets having adrenal
neoplasia and because those tend to be mature ferrets it is often thought
that sterilization may be part of a complicated triggering process.
 
Now that we are all thoroughly confused.  I'll tell you our bottom line
until there is more research on this topic IN FERRETS and that is "The
proof is in the pudding." We know that we have had very few ferrets (only
2) with bilateral adrenal growths; we know that we have had only one
early one; therefore, we hope that we may be doing some things right.
One of the things that we do is to have surgery, rather than avoid it
(i.e. going with Lupron in hopes of avoiding surgery as you seem to have
proposed) especially since we have never seen anything which indicates
that Lupron provides a cure.
-----
 
Be gentle to yourself.  It may be that the cause is never found, but that
doesn't mean that something you recall which is a so-so option was the
actual cause (esp.  when ferrets get into so many things all on their
own, and in case there may have been an old injury before he joined you)
-- only that it may be a potential hazard of which to be aware.  It's
good that you posted to the FML because in doing so others know of this
possible hazard and that means that they will protect their ferrets from
couch springs, so you have saved lives today.  Don't take blame unto
your shoulders which might not belong there since all that exists is a
hypothesis; learn but be fair to yourself at the same time.
[Posted in FML issue 3892]