>From:    "Deborah W. Kemmerer, DVM" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Adrenals and Neutering
>However, any such discussion is probably moot.  I've already thought of
>several ideas for similar studies and the problem always comes down to one
>thing: money.  Who's going to fund it?  I certainly can't afford to out of
>my own pocket.  What you are suggesting will probably cost in the
>neighborhood of $10,000-12,000, and that's pretty conservative.
 
Very similar to what vet Cathy Johnson-Delaney wrote me when I asked for
more data on the efficacy of Lupron used as adjunct therapy with Lysodren to
treat ferrets with adrenal disease where surgery was deemed a non-option.
Cathy said data on 50 ferrets treated with Lupron, with identical tests,
would still not be conclusive... more data, more dollars, would be
necessary.  (I wrote that a couple days ago, and she wrote me today and it
sounds like some interesting adrenal studies may now be in the makings,
Lupron and more!)
 
>From:    Linda Iroff <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: humping behavior in young neutered male
>Gonzo is about 9 months old, a healthy extremely energetic shelter resident.
>Even though he is a pet shop early neuter, Gonzo has been hit by spring
>fever, and it taking it out on Vega, one of the girls.  He is basically,
>trying to hump her. ... This behavior has been going on for a few days
>now, and poor Vega is getting red spots on the back of her neck.  Has anyone
>seen this type of behavior in such a young altered male?
 
Hi Linda.  Better late than never I guess (in answering).  Our 2 1/2 year
old Petey does this during springtime; this is the second spring.  I worry
about adrenal disease as it can occur young and his urine sometimes smells
strong, giving me more cause for adrenal worry, but he has no other
symptoms.  So far I've chalked it up to spring fever and a beautiful young
girlfriend, Lucy.  Also, last spring he had our adrenal fuzzy Percy to watch
mercilouly pursuing and mock-mating Minnie, so I thought maybe he'd learned
by observation (Percy unfortunately died of urinary tract complications from
adrenal disease/prostate enlargement).  So... one iota of hair loss or
urinary problems (urinary problems from enlarged prostate that go hand in
hand with male aggression) and Petey will be at the vets!  And, I expect the
behavior to clear up in a couple weeks, three at most.  Petey has just
recently dropped 8 ounces; he'll lose 14-16 as he did last year probably
(he's healthy as a little pony, as usual) and is going through his coat
change so looks like a fuzzy baby eagle... so... lots of normal spring stuff
is happening!
 
>From:    Sheila Crompton <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: Prepubescent neutering querries
>
>Could somebody please explain to me why American ferret keepers give their
>ferrets hairball remedy?  The feather and fur my gang ingest, but don't
>digest, just comes out the other end with no problem at all :-)
 
I'll bet my Lucy, a little chewer, would love a baby chick.  Instead she has
to be content with cloth, rubber, and anything else she can ferret out...
blockage material; thus the hairball remedy.  Favorite toys and much else
has been tossed, but she has done things like climb up behind furniture and
worm her way into the drawer to find the one rubber thing left in the house.
Or dig at my electric blanket (long ago unplugged due to fuzzies) and pull
out the wires - so that's trash.  She's hell bent to block.  She did once; I
saw it immediately in her eyes, and her skinny poop... My husband was in
Europe and the last thing I needed was a lengthy visit to the ER.  I ran her
around the backyard a bit, gave her tons of laxatone, massaged her belly,
and told her to poop (practically sang her poop songs).  Finally, at the end
of the day, out it came - thank goodness!!!!  I was one relieved mom.  She
seems to have learned her lesson, at least a little bit.  And I didn't need
the tossed stuff, anyway.  She's more than worth it all, a real little doll.
 
>From:    Troy Lynn Eckart <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Killer instinct - Oh boy.
>
>In my personal view, it is only human animals that have a true killer
>instinct.  We plan and kill our prey and sometimes we kill without the plan.
>While the majority of us refrain from doing so, the instinct is still there
>(ever been so angry for a fleeting second you wanted to kill someone).
>
>Hugs to all. tle
 
And boy, does the majority of the human race practice species discrimination!
Nearly 100 ferrets murdered in Spokane wasn't reported to a few long days
after the fact, and then got one little story in Spokane and a minute at
best in Seattle - until the FML stepped in and put on the heat!  What a
difference in reporting an injured baby reaps, compared to nearly 100
brutally murdered ferrets!  The contrast says much.
 
Fuzzy hugs always,
 
Lynn Mc. and the sweet gang of seven, with those remembered watched
in the stars...
[Posted in FML issue 2233]