Since the topic has come up several times recently:
Don't forget that Lupron is apparently not a cure -- my impression is that
it is a Quality-of-Life drug which helps some (not all) have a better time
of their months left if they aren't surgical candidates, and which is also
being considered as a possible approach for "rebound steroidogenic effect".
I'm not a vet and therefore could be wrong, but everything I've read so far
indicates to me that of you have a ferret who is a good surgical candidate
you are best off skipping the drug approach and going for the effective,
established approach which can give years to a younger ferret and also
might give some extra time to some older ones. (Also, if it has advanced
to having a malignancy which has not yet spread you might catch it in time,
like happened with Meltdown who got an extra 3 1/2 years after her
operation at age 5.)
Oh, and do NOT assume that hair loss only on the tail itself indicates
adrenal disease; in that location it's more likely to be plain old acne or
irritation related to ear mites that travel to the tail while it's wrapped
around the head in sleep, or such. Hair loss anywhere on the (non-tail)
body itself stands a much better chance of being related to an adrenal,
with some areas having yet a stronger probability. (It still makes sense
to tackle ear mites because they are a problem in themselves and can set
the stage for worse things like fungal infections of the ears. It also
makes sense to treat acne since it itches so much. See your vet to help
these problems and to consider if it could be adrenal.)
Never forget to check out the resources available:
1. http://www.ferretcentral.org
2. http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html with info on getting help
from Bruce Williams for consultation on difficult cases at
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/webconsults.html
3. http://www.netfopets.com/starferrets.html to help you find a
ferret knowledgeable vet (Vets on the list were recommended by people
who used them so may have at one time been better qualified than
counterparts, or may have stopped keeping up over the years, so it is
always useful when possible to double check by asking who the shelter
and club people use and why.) I gather there are two other locations
putting together such info now, too. One is called the Ferret Help List
but he forgot to give the site location in yesterday's post. Not sure
if the other is up, yet.
4. http://www.maimiferret.org which has several of its own medical FAQs
5. [log in to unmask]
Depending on the resource you'll find other useful info at these locations
on people (shelters, clubs) who might be able to direct you to good vets,
heartworm, insulinoma, cardiomyopathy, mast cell tumors, etc. (BTW, we are
not responsible for any of those resources, but my hubby and I DO have over
15 years of experience with ferrets so we are pretty good at assessing what
can be helpful when used conscientiously. We don't need the vets lists
since we have a vet who did an exotics specialization at the AMC right here
in Basking Ridge, N.J. so I have NOT used them personally. Haven't used
Faiml or the Miami sites, either, but I know Lynn and Mike so know they
both have a lot of experience and intelligence. I really should get to the
Miami site to read the heartworm section and combine that with the AFIP and
Ferret Central info -- I know very little on that topic, but learning is
what makes life fun.)
If you missed yesterday's Issue number: 2658 info from vet Debbie Kemmerer
on diagnosing lympho ACCURATELY go back and read it; it's right on the
mark! (For those who don't know, she is a vet with extensive ferret
experience for a strong number of years who is also a jewel for the
shelter community.)
[Posted in FML issue 2659]
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