All too many times I've heard vets tell clients that they've got time to
wait and see, that there's no hurry.  I've had four ferrets in the past
TWO years that WOULD HAVE BECOME INOPERABLE if I had waited 6 months to do
the surgery.  All four ferrets had fast growing tumors on the right side.
 
There are VERY few vets willing and CAPABLE of a vena ligation surgery
(temporarily stopping the blood flow to remove the constricted section of
blood vessel).  There are only 3 vets in the U.S.  that I would trust to
do that surgery on one of mine: Charles Weiss, Deborah Kemmerer, and Leo
Gates.  (If you know a vet that's qualified, please feel free to let
people know!) Even then, the success of that surgery depends largely on
auxiliary blood flow... the formation of a network of NEW vessels AROUND
the constriction.... which doesn't happen in time to save a ferret with a
FAST GROWING tumor.
 
Don't ask your vet to tell you what you want to hear ("yeah, you can save
up money for six months so it doesn't hurt your budget").  Ask him to tell
you what's best for the ferret ("forget Disney World this summer, this
tumor could be a fast growing one").  Of the ferrets that have come
through this shelter, 85% have had adrenal tumors by age 6.
 
You have 10 ferrets, expect AT LEAST 8 surgeries... the FOUR cases above
were EIGHT surgeries... the right side gland was NORMAL at the time of
the first surgery,... that's how I KNOW the tumor grew that fast.
 
So... what is an unnecessary surgery?  ... ummmm about $100.  A healthy
ferret... that is, if you haven't waited until bladder/kidney/prostate
infections start or anemia has their blood hematicrit scraping the bottom
of the barrel... a healthy ferret is wardancing 3 days after a simple
exploratory surgery.  HOW much did you spend on the Tennessee Panel &
other tests & the office visit costs for them only to learn, yep, it's
adrenal.  An experienced ferret vet doesn't need the Tennessee Panel...
the only thing it's good for is convincing stubborn owners of the
necessity for surgery and spending money on tests that could have been
spent on the problem.  "Early diagnosis"?  Try "early surgery" instead.
 
I'm NOT a proponent of cutting them open for no reason... The point I'm
trying to stress is that adrenal tumors are COMMON.  There's nothing to
be gained by dithering around about it.  If you have ONLY one ferret you
WILL MOST LIKELY have to do an adrenal surgery at some point.  That's the
statistics.  Face it.  Get a grip on it.  Expect it.  Prepare for it.
WATCH for the symptoms that WILL eventually appear EIGHTY FIVE PERCENT of
the time, so that you can get the surgery done BEFORE it becomes
inoperable, BEFORE damage to other organs occurs.
 
DON'T wait until the ferret is BALD!  All you've done is reduce his chance
of surviving surgery without surgical side-effects, and increased the
price tag on the surgery procedure itself, AND made the procedure MORE
difficult for the vet which further reduces the ferret's chance of
survival AND recovery rate.  In essence: Pay a little now, or a lot
later, mostly at the ferret's expense.
 
SURGERY -- EVEN TWO SURGERIES -- IS CHEAPER THAN LUPRON for the 2 to 4
remaining years of the ferret's life.  And a lot easier to live with than
the guilt of knowing your ferret is dying from renal failure because YOU
wouldn't do surgery for a "non-fatal" illness.
 
For those counting statistics, the total number of adrenal surgeries in
the past two years at Ferrets First Foster Home: 16.  All were diagnosed
ONLY by symptoms of SLIGHT (beginning!)hair loss, "whole male" odor,
and/or behavior.  In ALL cases where surgery was done for a "suspected"
adrenal tumor, adrenal tumors were found - and in 3 cases, undiagnosed
insulinoma as well.
 
So, by THESE statistics, if you "suspect" there may be a "chance" that
your ferret "might" have an adrenal tumor.... there's an 85% chance it
DOES have a tumor and a 25% chance that it WILL have fatal side effects...
THAT'S THE MATH... NOT MY OPINION.
 
The bottom line (as far as I'm concerned) ADRENAL TUMORS ARE FATAL.  To
act otherwise is playing Russian Roulette with your ferret's life.
 
So... just how lucky are you?
 
Debi Christy
Ferrets First Foster Home
 
Practical & easy training, care, & maintenance articles available at
http://www.geocities.com/ferretsfirst/
[Posted in FML issue 3804]