Christa wrote:
>Dr. Sidner does not think he is a good candidate for surgery b/c we have
>no idea of his exact age. He guestimated no younger than 5 & most likely
>older. (We have had him two years) He was a rescue & we have no other
>medical background on him. I did not think the Adrenal surgery was a big
>deal. Would I be making a mistake by not having it done.
This is a tough one - if it were me, I would want to know why the vet felt
that Rocky was not a good candidate for surgery before I went any further.
I don't simply eliminate a ferret from having surgery just because of age -
I take other factors into consideration: overall, is the ferret in a
fragile state of health, or robust?, what did the full blood panel show
(and if it wasn't run, I would highly recommend it) - any triggers or
high/low readings? does the ferret have any other conditions which may
make surgery more difficult (insulinoma, cardiomyopathy)? How much
experience does the vet have with adrenal surgery?
You might also want to consider subscribing to the FAIML (ferret adrenal
and insulinoma mailing list) moderated by a wonderful woman, Lynn McIntosh.
To SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE: Just use the one address <[log in to unmask]>
for posts, subscription questions, requests,cancellations, comments, etc.
I have had surgeries performed on ferrets over 7 - without problems. On
the other hand, I have had 3 and 5 year olds not survive surgery, so I hate
to make a blanket determination of over 5, no surgery. In particular, male
ferrets suffering from adrenal disease have other driving factors - male
ferrets have the additional risk of prostate/urination problems as the
disease progresses.
Any surgery is a big deal - putting a ferret under anesthesia is always a
risk. There is always the worry about if the adrenal that is affected
turns out to be on the right side - *if* you decide to have the surgery
performed and it is the right side, what might he do? I think its worth
talking to your vet some more - and you might even consider a second
opinion. It can't hurt. Ultimately, the decision to do/not do the surgery
lies with you - and I certainly sympathize with your dilemma. If your vet
doesn't recommend surgery and you decide not to do surgery, ask him about
alternate treatments which won't cure the problem, but can help with the
symptoms - lsyodren, lupron. Good luck to you and Rocky, whatever you
decide.
Lisa, Head Ferret
The Ferret Haven "By-the-Sea"
URL: http://www.kozykingdom.com/ferrethaven
Want to help The Ferret Haven By-the-Sea? Register at iGive.com
by cutting and pasting this link:
http://www.iGive.com/html/ssi.cfm?CID=1236&MID=854
[Posted in FML issue 2655]
|
