**The advice dispensed by myself in reference to FML postings is not meant
to supplant the advice of veterinarians who are in charge of the patient.
If the patient is not currently under the care of a veterinarian, the client
is recommended to take their ferret to one.**
 
>From:    Maria DeCicco <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Adrenal Surgery
>I wrote a few weeks ago about my ferret Ginger who was not eating well and
>who continue to have soft poops and the lost of hair on her tail.  I
>returned to the vet and he took a blood test.  Everything showed up OK.
>The lose of hair seems to be going up the trunk of her body.
 
>From:    Stacy Patchel <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Adrenal surgery v/s Medicine?
>Scooter, my 2.5 year old ferret, was diagnosed with an adrenal tumor today
>from an ultrasound.  My vet has never done the surgery.  She called several
>area vets & none of them do the surgery. ...
 
I thought I would answer these two questions together.
A little background on the disease (there is more information on the FAQ).
Adrenal disease is caused by a tumor or growth in the adrenal gland.  These
growths can be malignant tumors, benign tumors, or something called
hyperplastic tissue (bigger than normal cells but not quite fitting the
definition of cancer).  These cells no longer follow the normal negative
feedback loop .  That is, when levels of hormones or steroids that the
adrenal normally secretes gets too high, the adrenal stops secreting them
until they are back in the normal range.  These tumors just keep pumping out
the hormones and steroids.  Depending on what hormones and/or steroids get
pumped out results in the symptoms the ferret exhibits (aggression, swollen
vulva, hair loss, prostate enlargements, etc.) Statistically, 85-90% of the
ferrets have adrenal tumor ONLY in the left gland.  75% are female.  The
last piece of information is that the adrenal gland has a high regeneration
capacity.  You cut out half of one and it will regrow over a relatively
short period of time.
 
Now comes Lysodren.  Lysodren is a medication that destroys adrenal tissue.
The goal of administering Lysodren is to destroy a percentage of the gland
while the rest of the gland regenerates new adrenal tissue.  You are trying
to reduce the functional mass so less hormones/steroids can be produced
(i.e., the factory is smaller for manufacturing).  Disadvantages of
Lysodren: 1) some ferret become nauseous (vomit, diarrhea, anorexia, etc.),
2) does work in some ferrets, 3) lifelong medication (since the adrenal
gland regenerates), 4) lifelong expense can equal or surpass the surgery
cost, 5) can cause profound hypoglycemia (not to be used in an insulinoma
ferret).  Advantage of Lysodren: 1) don t need to do surgery if Lysodren
works.
 
Surgery disadvantage: 1) cost, 2) higher technical skill required by
veterinarian.  Advantage: 1) 85-90% of the time you can CURE ferret lifelong
(just be removing the left adrenal gland.  In my experience at least one
gland will look abnormal on the surgery and that is the one I remove.  Based
on biopsy reports, I have been wrong two times in about 200 surgeries.  One
of those two ferrets got better and has remained symptom free so far.) A big
problem with the surgery approach is when the ferret has bi-lateral adrenal
disease (in both glands).  These ferret, after having an adrenal gland
removed, may need to be put on Lysodren or have 1/2 of their other adrenal
gland removed (but remember it regenerates!).
 
As for the cost of the surgery, it widely varies just like human surgery
prices do.  A lot has to do with the local economy (overhead is more in the
NorthEast versus the SouthEast), veterinary pricing structure and equipment.
Ironically, the more ferret work a vet does, the more he/she usually has
invested in equipment to do ferret work.  For example, my small animal
incubator that the ferret recover in costs $1200.  A lot of vets who do
sporadic ferret work probably won t invest in this because they cannot see a
return on their investment.  The result is better medicine for the pet but
with a corresponding higher cost.  The same is true with anesthetics.  The
recommendation is to use isoflurane gas anesthesia.  Some vets still use
injectables (cost less but you have less fine control of the depth of
anesthesia).
 
That s the long answer for the short questions.
 
>From:    John J Windfelder <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: to operate or not?
>Rocky, my 7 and 1/2 year old fuzzy, has developed an abdominal tumor,
 
If it is not the spleen, I would operate. If it is the spleen, I would
monitor.
 
>From:    Michael Cook <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Upper Respiratory Infections
>My boyfriend and I have had our ferret Scooter for 2 months now.  She is 4
>months old.  Since we have had her she has been sneezing.
 
The blood work should help diagnose an upper respiratory infection from an
allergy.  Also chest x-rays are beneficial.  Some upper respiratory
infections are viral in nature and antibiotics do not directly help
 
Mike Dutton, DVM, DABVP
Weare Animal Hospital
Weare, NH, USA
[Posted in FML issue 1781]