>From:    Bryan Strickland <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Adrenal disease in ferrets
>I would greatly appreciate any information that you can give me so I can
>pass it along to my Vet inorder for my ferret to live a happy, health life.
 
Hi Bryan.  I moderate the Ferret Adrenal/Insulinoma Mailing List (FAIML).
I send out a packet of info when people subscribe, and the list comes out
in digest format two or three times a week.  If you're interested write me
at <[log in to unmask]>.  I can send more info or, if you ask, subscribe
you.
 
>From:    MR CHARLES R ONKEN <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Cujo is sick again
>The Dr had also done a needle drain and had catheterized him through
>the opening he had made last summer when he did the "boy to girl"
>operation.
>Dr. Shaffer said he thinks Cujo's prostate may be enlarged.  This causes
>his bladder to back up and lets bacteria grow.  He gave him a shot of
>baytril, and I have baytril tabs to give him along with his clavamox.  He
>also put him on lysodren.
>Now, the hard part.  We talked about his future.  Dr. Shaffer said his
>prognosis is guarded.  It will depend on how long this treatment holds.
 
Hi Charles.  Try and buy some time for the Lysodren to work.  It may reduce
the adrenal symptoms, though probably doesn't work as well for adrenal
carcinoma (versus adenoma), and Dr. Weiss has seen some indication (written
of in his last paper) that urinary tract problems may be more commonly seen
with adrenal carcinomas.  If you can get Cujo going on Lupron I'd advise
that as well... it's time to pull out the stops, in my opinion.  Dr.
Williams has written that he has found no reason why Lupron should/would
work, but my vet has worked with it clinically and the results, coupled with
her research, indicate to her it does.  It's experimental but what she
recommends especially with adrenal-related prostate problems.  As for the
Lysodren, by the way, I don't advise using Lysodren more than three of four
days in a row, since your risk of toxicity increases.  It kills off adrenal
tissue and the body needs time to slough off the dead tissue; also general
toxicity can be harmful.  Watch for anorexia, hind end weakness, and/or
vomiting.  If you see any symptoms my advice is to stop the Lysodren for the
week to give Cujo time to process it's effects.  Our Wally is now on two
days on (Monday and Wednesday) and the rest of the week off.  It is time for
us to do some diagnostics, though, to determine how he's doing internally.
Clinically, except for two mild low blood sugar episodes, he looks and acts
like a normal ferret, though his inoperable right tumor was nearly
completely encapsulated -- vet could only just get a needle biopsy; if
touched by her scalpel it oozed blood -- in the vena cava and elongated
golf- to racketball sized.  He laps the Lysodren up, by the way, after the
capsule is opened and mixed with Lysodren.  It's a very serious drug and I
admit that my husband gives it to Wally - I can't bear to (some wimpy list
moderator, huh?)...
 
Lynn McIntosh
[Lynn's 2 posts combined.   BIG]
 
Couldn't resist poking my nose into a couple more adrenal questions... I'm
not obsessed with this disease!  The list just kept growing and I follow
it... Lynn
 
>From:    Richard Beveridge <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Lysodren
>Anyone have any good news about this drug regarding adrenal/hair growth
>problems?  I recall it being the topic of fml posting in the past, but I
>wasn't too interested.........then.
>I guess the reason that I got 'zero' replies was because I spelt it wrong.
>It just couldn't be because no one wanted to share information with me!
 
Hi Richard.  I started FAIML because I didn't always get satisfactory
responses to my adrenal questions on the FML.  Not that FMLers are slack
at all - no way!  - just that this is a very specific topic and the FML
addresses many topics each day, so there is much else for people to respond
to.  Plus, few vets in this area were even close to being up to speed and
experienced as some of the experienced, East Coast, fuzzy vets - Dr.
Kawasaki, Weiss, and others - which really worried me.  Our Wally, who has
an inoperable right adrenal tumor (see above), has been on Lysodren since
last September, about 8 months.  He went from almost completely bald to a
full body of normal hair; his weight is perfect and energy high.  As I
mentioned, he has had two low blood sugar episodes, which may or may not be
related to the Lysodren; or could be an early sign of insulinoma(s).  If he
has another bout we'll probably opt for exploratory surgery to see if any
pancreatic growths can be removed (I believe that early surgery is best with
insulinomas, thanks to a current post to FAIML - thanks Beth, for writing,
and Linda, for posting!).  In any case I'll get him a blood glucose reading
soon.
 
By the way.  Do you live in Seaside, Oregon?  My sis and family have a home
there and I will be going down often this summer to visit my great, old dad,
who hangs out there summertimes.  If you live there you may have seen him
flying his kites - up to five, mostly tailless, kites on one string... he
calls it his "kite research".  He also runs an annual poetry contest.
 
>From:    Apryl Keniston <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Sunny had his surgery
>... after a very close and extensive look at both adrenals he is positive
>that it's not adrenal disease.  HOORAY!!!  So, his opinion is that some
>other gland is producing testosterone and that is the reason for Sunny's
>condition.  When I left the vet's office this morning,
>OK.  Now for the question....any vets that may still be with us please, do
>any of you know what treatment can be started to help Sunny get through his
>bout of 'spring fever'?  Dr. Dyer is going to start him on low levels of
>estrogen to try to combat the production of testosterone.  If any of you
>don't agree with this course of treatment or can think of anything else to
>try, please post to the FML or, better yet, e-mail me directly.
 
I'm not a vet, but have read of plenty fuzzies (putting out my list
regularly) whose adrenals appeared normal, though their hormone levels and
symptoms indicated adrenal disease.  Have you had the Tennessee Adrenal
panel done?  Estradial is often elevated in adrenal disease, and you might
start by testing for this.  I have one of those fuzzies, had one, whose vet
didn't diagnose adrenal based on esploratory surgery, even though histology
revealed hyperplastic adrenal tissue!  (my new vet is more
ferret-experienced and actively seeks out the latest info)... unfortunately
Percy was dead six months later of complications related to an enlarged
prostate.  I'm sorry to write this and hope your fuzzy isn't adrenal... not
knowing the fuzzy or symptoms it's impossible to say if it could be a "bout
of spring fever".  Did your vet check for an undescended testicle?  This can
cause male behavior, but is less common than adrenal disease.
 
May the cause of adrenal disease be found and the disease eradicated within
ten years - that's my wish!
 
Lynn McIntosh... and the incredible gang of seven, all furry at the moment
(one, our first guy Gadzook, showing a bald patch and urinary symptoms
*sigh*)... ...always remembering my guys nosin' the stars about (from Kate
Pappas' pretty star-pushin' poem): Schroeder Boat and Percy Fergus (the
Fergusons, retired lab fur kids) and my much beloved Squeek, dead before
reaching a year due to neural-tube birth defects, and his lost tiny
neural-tube siblings, 'Erb who saw a day, and the other two who saw no
light of life...
[Posted in FML issue 2299]