>Hi all! I have GOOD news for once! My vet has finally been approved to
>use the experimental (experimental in the US anyways) - implant for
>adrenal gland disease.

Hi Kim.

Here in Slovenia we started with deslorelin implants this year and for
now all experiences are just positive. Previously we used Lupron, but
were not so satisfied with the results. Can not tell you yet how long
the impants work from our experience, but they are supposed to work
from 6-18 months (and in some cases even longer), according to holland
(dr. Nico Schoemaker, he is doing a study of usage of deslorelin
implants in ferrets), hungarian and other european vets who are using
it for some years now. Deslorelin implants are used as a treatment for
adrenal gland disease, but also as insted of surgical castration and it
might also work as a prevention drug for adrenal gland disease (still
in process of researching - the experimantel group of ferrets are not
old enough and the number of them is too low for accurate results).
In US Kathy Delaney is doing simillar study as Nico Schoemaker in
Holland - the experimantal group of implanted ferrets must be now
around 5-6 yrs old and the last time I read about her results (last
year), none of them developed adrenal gland disease (most of them are
marshall ferrets). Also from other vets who work with exotics I only
hear positive results (for now have only read about two cases where
the implant had to be removed - due to reaction).

I also implanted three of my ferrets - one was showing signs of
adreanal (shaved fur didn't regrow, thin hair on her back, ...), the
other two were without signs of adrenal, they got it as a prevention
(I decided this way after all the preliminary studies I have read and
after all I have heared on conferences). In the adrenal girl only after
three days I could notice bluish skin on her stomach, in one week some
hair were allready out and in two weeks when I brought her to the
clinic with me (as a vet student I volunteer on the clinic for exotic
animals in our Faculty), the vets couldn't beliv their eyes ... Some
of the ferrets we implanted took a bit longer (it seems for now, taht
the one with hgher estardiol levels took longer - wich is logical),
like two, to three weeks, for clinical signs to disappear.

Just wanted to share our experiences and I hope that it will be "a
magic drug" for your fuzzy two.

Best regards

Maja and the gang.

[Posted in FML 6426]