Unless something has changed, the Melatonin implants are actually
enclosed in a plastic case that is left behind once the medicine is
actually dissolved/used. This *does* result in "husks" being left
behind, and usually if it's a problem, you can have the vet remove them
very quickly. In older ferrets they can end up irritating the skin
because of the thinner skin up there. I injected 10 younger ferrets
early on in life when I had just personal ferrets - on the females, I
can see the implant husk there, I planned on continuing it to see if it
would prevent adrenal disease but when I learned the husks remained, I
decided not to, and also I got into rescue and doing it for non-adrenal
ferrets was a cost I did not want to try.

As far as reactions - I never had a ferret have a reaction to a
melatonin implant. I did have a ferret have a localized skin reaction
to a lupron depot given in the scruff area. I also gave a female ferret
an IM lupron depot in the thigh, and had no reaction. The reaction was
just a hard lump with orange/red skin. I have done many melatonin
implants since then on rescues, other people's ferrets, and never had
an issue.

If she can't handle melatonin, I wonder if lupron would be okay - it is
not an actual implant, though. There is also Deslorelin, but I am not
certain if that is an implant or depot - I believe it's an implant?

L

[Posted in FML 6934]