To Debra:
 
        Concerning "jilljab" - this technique is occasionally used to bring cats
out of heat.  Cats (and ferrets) are induced ovulators, although ferrets will
not come out of heat unless penetration occurs, and cats eventually will.  The
technique of jill jab or vaginal manipulation is rarely successful, and I don't
know if it ever has been - it is most likley a rumor started by a person with
just enough knowledge to be dangerous.
 
[Our vet considers this to be an extremely dangerous practice, and very unlikely
to work.  There was a long diatribe against it many hundreds of issues ago.]
 
        In cats, a thermometer or glass probe can be inserted into the vagina
and if the motions mimic the copulatory act closely enough, the cat will come
out of heat.
 
        If anyone has been successful with a ferret, I would like to hear about
it.  If your ferret shows sign of estrus - you still only have two choices -
either mate it or SPAY it.
 
[Three choices: HCG is quite efficacious as well.  One of our ferrets
was quite ill as well as being in estrus when we got her.  HCG was
considered the safest course to bring her out of estrus and ease her
recovery from her other problems.]
 
        As far as HCG shots for adrenal tumors - this is an ill-advised move.
As adrenal tumors secrete estrogen, resulting in hair loss and vulvar swelling
in females - HCG will have no effect on them, and only allow the clinical signs
to worse.  Unfortunately, at this time, the only way to combat an adrenal lesion
in ferrets is to have the affected adrenal removed.
 
[HCG is used as a diagnostic tool to disambiguate between an adrenal tumor
and fragments of ovarian tissue left behind from a spay.  Our spayed female
has had an enlarged vulva three times - each time it went down with a series
of 3 HCG shots one week apart.  So, an adrenal tumor could be ruled out.
However, next time we're thinking of trying an exploratory, because the
vet said that sometimes they can find the tissue if it's done when the
vulva is swollen.  And, Cushings can be double checked at the same time.]
 
        Now concerning enlarged spleens in ferrets - in the majority of cases,
we still don't knwo what causes enlarged spleens.  I see several a week.  About
10% are the result of lymphosarcoma, and the rest are a combination of excessive
cumulation of blood (congestion), or production of blood elements
(extramedullary hematopoiesis).  Although there has been a theory for several
years about the possibility of a retrovirus causing this change, it has never
been proven.
        Most enlarged spleens tend to wax and wane over time.  Ferrets that are
extremely active and have enlarged spleens may run the risk of rupturing this
spleen, but in most other cases, they seem to do very well.  The practice of
removing enlarged spleens is not warranted - the spleen acts as a biological
filter, and splenectomized ferrets are more susceptible to life-threatening
infections.  Until more information is in, MY ferrets with big spleens will keep
theirs.
 
 
To Michelle on the subject of insulinoma:
 
        I don't see much of a choice here for you.  The clinical signs that you
describe - drooling and difficulty walking are indicative of an islet cell tumor
(insulinoma) at work.  Surgery is the best course - medical therapy only
prolongs the animal's life for a while.
        The surgery is generally successful in 90% of casees.  Certainly, some
animals do grow other tumors, but a lot of them are not functional.  Most of the
older ferrets I see at autopsy have these neoplasms, but less than half have
histories of clinical signs of hypoglycemia.  I have done this surgery on my own
animals as the need has arisen.
        Remeber - your ferret may not eat or drink for 48 hours following this
surgery - food or water in the stomach will cause the surgically manipulated
pancreas to begin secreting digestive enzymes which may leak through the "hole"
where the islet cell tumor was removed, markedly increasing the chance of fatal
pancreatitis.
        From what I can tell, $150 is very reasonable for this surgery.
        You may feel free to have your vet or yourself give me a call if you
would like a second opinion.
 
 
Dr. Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP
Dept. of Veterinary Pathology, AFIP
[log in to unmask]  (202)576-2454
 
[Posted in FML issue 0591]