Dr. Williams and/or Dr. Dutton,
 
We have questions about Lysodryn.  Our 3 yr old, sable, female (Shadow) has
signs of adrenal tumor (hair loss, swollen vulva, weight loss).  Her
diagnosis was based on the symptoms, blood test, and x-rays.  Our vet
recommended Lysodren over surgey which we started giving her two weeks ago
(1/5/96).  Two 500mg Lysodren tablets were ground and mixed with Karo and
H20 (approximately 12cc total mixed).  The dosage is .75cc once a day for 7
days and every 3 days up to 8 weeks.
 
She seems to be doing a little better, the swelling in her vulva is slightly
reduced and she seems to be a bit more active, although I have noticed a
dark skin color (bruised looking) around her neck, shoulders, and legs (any
ideas what that may be?).  After reading recent posts we have great concerns
about Lysodren.  It appears that surgery is the treatment of choice for
adrenal tumors.  Have we done the wrong thing by giving her Lysodren?  What
harm might we be causing?  Is it too late to consider surgery or should we
continue with the current treatment?
 
I don't have a lot of confidence in our vets knowledge of ferrets although
he says he has treated many with Lysodren and has not been sucessful with
surgeries (e.g., unable to locate and/or remove all the tumor).  We only
want the best for Shadow but feel we may have made the wrong decision.
Please advise what our options may be at this point.
 
Thanks for your time.
 
Aaron McAlpine
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[Posted in FML issue 1459]