Shron wrote:
>My vet will not put in a des implant unless he does the test first
>(or there are obvious signs) and the ferret definitely has adrenal
>disease. He said there are no studies regarding prevention and the
>implant could cause side effects.

Actually, there have been some studies, and they do show that
Deslorelin and Lupron CAN be used as a preventative for adrenal
disease. Here are summarized results from perhaps the best know study,
by Dr. Robert Wagner. This is a slide presentation that he made at the
2011 Ferret Congress Symposium:

<http://www.ferretcongress.org/sym2011/phxpdf/Ferret%20GnRH%20vaccination%20ACD%20prevention-Wagner.pdf>

You can also search for the work of Dr. Nico Shoemacher on the same
subject.

And here's a link to a post by Dr. Jerry Murray, who is well-published,
including numerous articles on Small Animal Channel:

http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL9686

Bottom line is, even if a ferret does not have adrenal disease, using
Deslorelin implants or Lupron Depot shots cannot hurt. And, in all
likelihood, they will help in prevention of the disease. For a ferret
who does already have fairly obvious signs of adrenal disease, such as
the one that Shron wrote about, there is no logical reason to waste
$200 on the Tennessee Panel. Use that same money to buy the Deslorelin
implant.

Jeff
In Loving Memory of Neo, Trinity, Morphy, Baby Girl, Dozer, Possum,
Pip, Pop, Sabrina, Minnie Mouse, Hunny, Misty, Frodo, Baggins, and
Mr. Parker
Caring for Luna, Boomer, and Zoomer 

[Posted in FML 7660]