When discussing the incredibly well documented effects of LH at this
point it is important to notice that neutering in general (not just early
neutering) is involved.  Important difference!  That is because the
gonads, when all goes right, send a "shut up" signal to the pituitary
(Okay, oversimplified, but you get the point.  Also, apparently, it does
not always go right or vets would not notice a 50% in general rate of
aplastic anemia in unbred jills.) Remove the gonads and that feedback
is gone.  So, the trick is to remove the "early" and mention things that
create persistent high LH levels such as neutering and not enough
complete darkness (= not enough melatonin), rather than "early neutering"
specifically.
 
The way the melatonin works is if there is enough of it the body does not
produce the high LH and FSH levels.  There is still more work needed on
the postulated contributions of FSH to adrenal disease.
 
Also, notice that this is not something wrong with the pituitary itself.
That has actually been looked into in the past, and I recall some past
posts on that aspect.
 
What is different now is that there was independent confirmation of the
final step in the process through vigorous and extremely careful
research.
 
So, folks need to drop the "early" and know that the problem is not a
disorder of the pituitary.  Might early neutering change the range of
timing from a neuter after a year of age?  Sure it might, but it appears
that would be not a cause difference but a timing one, so very different.
 
Of course, further research can add nuances.
 
Julie notes:
>Sorry, Tony, but we have had a number of elderly, ill, intact ferrets
>surrendered to the shelter and we did find adrenal growths during
>necropsy.  I do suspect the lack of natural lighting cycles likely
>caused their problems.
 
I have even heard of one early adrenal tumor in a whole ferret.  Usually,
the reports in relation to whole ferrets have been older ones, though,
and tumors just ARE most likely with age, plus in certain species there
are organs which are more vulnerable that way with aging.  Decades ago
the adrenal cases virtually never happened early.  Then (blam!) early
ones showed up.  Two things which changed greatly around then were a
marked increase in fancy markings, and a marked increase in equipment
lights.  Does these play into it?  Perhaps.  Certainly, the equipment
lights when in the ferret rooms could, and perhaps there are genetic
components we will learn about in the future.
 
*For those who are curious here are a few adrenal disease symptoms
such as fur loss, increasingly pear shaped, skin thinning, etc:
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/basics.htm
*Here is why it is unfair to the ferret to not properly treat adrenal
disease:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=SG5054
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=SG5035
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=SG5037
 
*Here is some info on treating adrenal disease:
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/adrenal.htm
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=SG16767
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=SG12819
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=SG16508
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=SG16121
(I have heard of one responding better to this med.)
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=SG15827
 
-- Sukie (not a vet, and not speaking for any of the below in my
private posts)
Recommended health resources to help ferrets and the people who love
them:
Ferret Health List
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
AFIP Ferret Pathology
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
Miamiferrets
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
International Ferret Congress Critical References
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 5216]