I really enjoy the ferret journal and I wanted to let all the people who
helped me when we were looking for information on adrenal gland tumor know
the results of the surgery.  Thanks---Ernestvet---.  Anyway for those who
don't know the story.  Pouka is my male ferret who is just a little over 6
years old.  In December 96 he started losing his hair, first around his
tail, then up his back and last in round patches on his sides.  He also
scratched all the time.  Our vet first thought it might be allergies so we
tried a antihistime.  Not much good.  Then the next vet said it must be a
adrenal gland tumor and pancreatic tumor.  They did the first test but did
not freeze the sample so the cells ate up the insulin causing a false
reading.  Next one of them said that they could do exploratory surgery.
When asked how many he had done he said 3.  Not much encouragement there.
So, I asked for a referral to a University Program about 2 hours away and
got the name of this wonderful vet.  I will write later with his OK.  And
tell you his name.
 
This was the saving grace.  He said he had frequently done this kind of
surgery he also said that most of the tumors were on the left and not much
problem to remove.  Occasionally some were on the right and attached to the
vena cava.  This could be bad.  As it turned out Pouka had a bad one 1.1 cm
attached to the vena cava and the liver.  This vet said that he had heard
that ferrets had enough alternate blood supply that you could shut off the
vena cava (main vain to return blood to the heart) and they could still live
a active life, but he had never had to try it.  Well guess what
friends......he had to as well as take out part of his liver.  It is one
month after surgery and we still have pink toes and no swelling.  Pouka gave
us one heart failure by developing odd blue patches over the muscles on all
four legs.  But a few days later out of those patches popped thick shiny
guard hairs.  All of his hair is growing back so quickly.  Pouka is happy
and active.  He plays daily with his girlfriend Smokey who by the way was
allowed to stay with him when he recouped at the vets for a week after
surgery.  So there is hope folks!!!!!!  Thanks again to this most wonderful
vet in NC.
[Posted in FML issue 1902]