>I had hoped someone more knowledgeable than I would have responded
>to your first post, but haven't seen anything thus far... so here it
 
Yep, I bet that happens a lot.  I had the same thought.
 
>It [Lupron] retards the growth of adrenal tumors.
 
Lupron *may* retard the growth of adrenal tumors in certain cases, but
that's not its primary use.  It will not shrink or eliminate tumors,
which is why surgery is still recommended.  Lupron's primary action is to
slow the hormone production that the over-active adrenal glands cause.
Diseased adrenal glands release massive amounts of sex hormones into the
body, and those are what causes the hair loss, swollen prostates in
males, false estrus in females, etc.  Lupron doesn't affect the adrenal
glands directly, but does short-circuit the signals that tell the adrenal
glands to produce.
 
>Prednisone is an anti-inflammatory steroidal medication, and in
>ferrets is used primarily for insulinoma in ferts.  It does nothing
 
Yup.  Insulinoma is only one of the many things prednisone is used for
though.  It's often very useful for many types of inflammatory disease
and other kinds of tumors, including lymphoma.  It's even useful as a
replacement for natural steriods AFTER complete adrenal removal.
Prednisone is good stuff - but it has a nasty tendency to cripple the
body if used long term.  Ferrets are much more tolerant of it than most
species though, so it's a very useful drug with them.
 
The short answer is - prednisone will do nothing for adrenal disease.
Your options are Lupron or surgery.  (Or both.  A ferret that is
receiving Lupron can still have the surgery done, but Lupron should
not normally be needed after the surgery.)
 
>... The predinsone is not a 'cure'.... it assists the body in regulating
>the insulin.  Hopefully someone with a far better
 
Correct, it's not a cure.  Like Lupron and the adrenals, prednisone
doesn't affect the tumors directly.  In this case prednisone helps by
raising the blood sugar level, which helps to counteract the excess
insulin produced by the diseased pancreas.
 
>knowledge base than I will respond to this, and help Mary and little
>Tweaky understand the different actions.  I also wonder why her Vet
>has not taken the time to talk with her??
 
Some are reluctant to "talk technical" with clients because their clients
may not understand or may interpret things incorrectly.  Some are just so
used to explaining things in lay terms that they don't even think of
explaining the details.  I don't know if the original poster even asked
though.  That's always the first step - if you have questions, ask your
vet!  Don't expect them to explain everything in detail if you don't
ask.  If they are reluctant to answer even when asked directly, find
another vet.  (Note that I am talking specifically about asking for
clarification.  Asking for an on-the-spot diagnosis is another matter
entirely - that one can't always be answered.)
 
Mike Janke compiles a lot of very good info on ferret health issues,
including adrenal disease and insulinoma, at his website.  You can
visit it here:
http://miamiferret.org/fhc/
 
roger
[Posted in FML issue 4673]