There are as many opinions as there are people out there. My personal
choice is always to do surgery if the ferret is healthy otherwise. How
successful that is seems to depend on the surgical skills of the vet,
and how far the disease has progressed. My second choice is a Lupron +
melatonin implant combination. I have not had luck with the one month
Lupron. In fact, my vet no longer even offers the one month to his
clients as he doesn't feel it works very well. By the time you get
the one month dose high enough to do any good, you are better off
financially using the 4-month, IMO. I exclusively use the 4 month, 1mg
(or 2mg) depot. When I do use Lupron, we do the Lupron injection and
the melatonin implants every four months without fail.

There is some thought that where you live can have a bearing on what
works best. I live in Florida.

I will admit that I have lost a couple of ferrets either during, or
immediately after, surgery. That is all types of surgery, not just
adrenal. But, I feel my surgical track record is good based on the
dozens I have had surgeries on (I run a small ferret rescue).

Don't assume the ferrets are in the early stages of adrenal. Outward
appearances can be deceiving. We have seen some nasty, huge tumors
with very little outward signs. Be especially careful with your males
as they can get blocked from a swollen prostate.

Good luck making your decision. It's not easy.

Katharine

[Posted in FML 5918]