I have been lurking for some time now and have waited to post anything until
I received some test results in on my ferret Oreo.  Well today I got the
answer I was hoping to avoid and now I need help!.  Oreo is a four year old
spayed MF who keeps going into heat.  The first time a local exploratory was
done to confirm she was spayed and then she was given depro vera (sp?).
Don't ever do that!  (More on the interesting side effects in later posts.)
Nine months later she finally started to behave normally.  The second time
we went to a different and better vet and she was given htg and that brought
her out of heat.  The third time the htg didn't work and extensive surgery
was performed and both adrenal glands needed to be removed.  She is on
flourinef (sp?) and prednisone and for three months she was back to her old
self.  At the end of September her vulva started swelling and she started
loosing hair on her tail and back.  Yeah I know, adrenal cancer - but how
with no adrenals?  My vet is very confident he removed all affected
material.  The adrenal panel has come back from Tenn.  and her estrogen
level is way up.  He wants to do chemo thru a cathreder (sp?) and is
scheduling and ultra sound hopefully this week to see if there is anything
to look at - in case the cancer has spread and is visable, he does not want
to do any more exploratory surgery on her.  He is aware of Lysodren but says
it can have side effects and not be effective.
 
Here are my concerns: I want to avoid extreme chemo is I possibly can unless
it is necessary to her health.  I do not know what quality of life she can
expect to have - I can't find anything at all on ferrets with adrenal
problems *after* a bilateral adrenalectomy.  She does not seem to be
suffering any ill effects now but how long can she go until anemia is a
problem?  I check her color all the time and watch her energy level.
Another concern I have is that the last time she needed to be put out for
the blood draw she started foaming at the mouth and my vet decided to clip
her nails instead of risking a more serious reaction to the
anethstesia(sp?).  She has never before reacted this way and I'm concerned
about putting her out for the ultrasound.
 
Sorry this is so long but I need to know my options before the end of the
week and I am running into dead ends as far as collecting any more
information.  Anyone who could help me out with info would be greatly
appreciated!
 
Sincerely,
Pam Franklin
Oreo - What do you mean I'm sick?  I feel fine!
Fluffy - How come she always gets to go ride in the car?
Chubba Wubba - Even though I'm fixed she sure smells interesting!
Big Foot - Where is all her fur going?
[Posted in FML issue 1773]