______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
To Dixon Harris
 
>In November I wrote to you and FML about Scooter. Then he was in
>the clutches of adrenal disease ...almost total baldness and ,
>what I particularly sought advice on from you, his hyper
>nervousness.>
 
>Now ( beginning about four weeks ago ) the symptoms started to
>abate. He seems in complete remission now. His white fur grew
>back at a furious pace. He's fully covered now. He's no longer
>the jumpy, jittery little fellow he used to be.
 
 
>But a FML reader kindly cautioned  us that her ferret died  while
>in a similar state of adrenal disease remission. She warned that
>a side effect of adrenal disease can upset the chemistry of the
>urinary system, causing her ferret to create bladder stones. The
>resulting operation was not successful for her little one.
 
>>>>Is there a connection here?...I mean between adrenal disease
>and urinary tract problems? If so, can we try to thwart it
>through a nutritional regimin?<<<
 
>Dixon, Barbara, Max the cat, and Scooter
>Dallas, Texas
 
        Dixon - Here at the AFIP we have noted a connection between adrenal
disease and urinary obstruction, but it does not appear to be due to urinary
stones and hence not treatable with a nutritional regimen.
 
        We have noted that males with adrenal disease occasionally (what
percentage we don't know) get marked cyst formation in the prostate and this
obstructs the urethra.  (I believe we discussed this about a week ago on the
FML).  These animals cannot urinate and may die within days.
 
        The only treatment for this is to remove the hyperfunctional adrenal and
any visible cysts at the same time.
 
        While a ferret with adrenal tumors may also have urinary stones, that
may be a coincidence more than a cause and effect syndrome.
 
        The best way to treat adrenal disease is still surgery.
 
       Bruce Williams, DVM                 Department of Veterinary Pathology
       [log in to unmask]         Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
       (202) 782-2600/2602                 Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
[Posted in FML issue 1073]