For those using Deslorelin to treat Adrenal disease (or for castration
for that matter):

There is a form of Deslorelin implant marketed under the name Ovuplant.
It has a 2.1mg dose. It is designed to take mares out of heat.

That's a BIG flood of hormones all at once. It is designed to release
ALL of its content over 24 - 48 hours. After that, there is nothing
left.

This is exactly the opposite of what ferrets need - a long, even,
sustained release of the deslorelin medication over a long period.

It should never be used in ferrets, as it makes the disease worse
in almost every case. (and wouldn't do much for chemical castration
either).

Unfortunately, it is the form which is much more readily available in
the US.

The form being recommended by Dr. Nico Shoemaker and many others, is
marketed as "Suprelorin", and comes as a 4.7 mg dose. It was originally
developed for chemical castration of dogs, so it is designed to last a
long time.

This form does have very good results in ferrets with Adrenal disease.
As long as the adrenal glands are still responding to the chemical
signals that they are designed to, this will bring them back under
control. If the disease has progressed to the point where they are no
longer responding to these signals, then it has most likely become
cancerous, and no medical treatment will help. Sadly, this cancer is
fast to metastasize, so even surgery is rarely a long-term cure here.

Kevin Farlee

[Posted in FML 6938]