Hi Everyone,
 
I'm looking for opinions on adrenal surgery.  Our oldest ferret (3) has
hair loss on his tail and is being aggressive with the other ferrets
(biting ears) which he hasn't done before.  Every summer he has lost
his tail fur, but this is the first time he's shown aggression.
 
We brought him to a vet in our area that was listed in Ferret magazine.
He wants to do exploratory surgery without any testing.  He feels the
surgery would cost the same as the tests and he doesn't feel the tests
are always reliable (blood/ultrasound).  He also feels exploratory
surgery is a better option in case there are any other growths, etc.  he
can take care of those at the same time as the adrenal.  I am concerned
about doing surgery without knowing if in fact, he actually has adrenal.
 
What are your feelings on this?  I realize there is always a risk
involved with surgery and want to make an informed decision.  Also, if
anyone knows of a really great ferret vet who has experience in adrenal
surgery in Northest Massachusetts, would you pass the information on
to me?
 
Thank you for any assistance. Please feel free to email me privately.
 
Ali
[Posted in FML issue 4978]