To Mark Zmyewski
 
> "It sounds like this MIGHT be 'Cushing's Disease', which is a problem of
>the adrenal glands....  Check this out with your vet.  Also tell him/her
>that ACTH levels aren't predictable in the ferret, and the best way to
>diagnose Cushing's is ultrasound (this person needs to be experienced,
>preferrably with ferrets).  Tell him/her to check out _Biology and
>Medicine of the Ferret_ by Dr.  Fox (can't remember the first name).  This
>is a veterinary textbook on ferrets."
 
    Mark, I don't think you need to read the old FML's because this poster
is a bit confused.  I think Chris is a veterinary student at NCSU.  To
start, the disease is not Cushings, because Cushing's disease is an
oversecretion of cortisone, not estrogen from the adrenal.  This is a common
misstake that many vets have.  ACTH is not the hormone that is secreted, but
estrogen, and ultrasound is not a very selective choice, becuase it has a
high rate of false negatives.  The best choice is the endocrine panel at
Univ.of Tennessee in terms of catching silent or marginal cases.  Ultrasound
may confirm a diagnosis, but contemplation of surgery should include more
than an ultrasound exam, as so many adrenal lesions may be missed.
 
    If you look at Fox's book, which is now eight years old, the information
he quotes is in the book, however, it has been outstripped by newer
information about this disease which has arisen in the last 4 or so years.
 
Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP
Dept. of Vet Path, AFIP
[log in to unmask]  OR
Chief Pathologist, AccuPath
[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1327]