Concerning pituitary glands and adrneal disease in the ferret -
 
        I concur with Dr. Brown here....pituitary glands are definitely not
invloved with adrenal disease in the ferret as they are with dogs.  The two
syndromes are completely different.  I have seen one pituitary tumor in ferrets,
and many cases of adrenal disease, in which pituitary glands are normal.
 
 
        To Beckers concerning big spleens -
 
        I would be available to look at your tumor, if your vet hasn't already
sent it elsewhere (no charge, as usual).
 
        As far as the big spleen goes, this iss a very common incidental finding
in ferrets, and we don't know why it happens.  But it is not a raging infection.
 If you are giving antibiotics to tyr to decreas the size of the spleen, it
won't do it.
 
        Many ferrets live for years with big spleens, some have them removed and
also live for years.  They aren't tumors (at least 95% of the time, just
accumulated blood and blood cell precursors.)  There has long been a thought
that a virus may be causing this, but no one has ever proven it.
 
        I have two ferrets with bhig spleens that are doing just fine.  Now
let's get that tumor worked up...
 
 
Bruce Williams
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[Posted in FML issue 0784]