Okay, there have been some absolutely excellent conversations going on
with several people off-list about adrenal growths.  I don't know who I
can quote on what so I won't credit anyone but KNOW THAT THE SMART AND
INTERESTING THINGS HERE DID NOT ORIGINATE WITH ME.  Alright?  Oh, and,
please, forgive me if I sound a touch lacking in brain cells.  Finally
got some sleep but they are re-ashalting outside so my asthma hasn't been
happy today.  Think I've fried half my brain.
 
Anyway, points made: that at least several shelters are seeing more and
more early adrenal growths, but these do NOT necessarily reflect what is
seen in the homes where ferrets are known well.  In fact, one shelter ace
told about seeing two completely different situations in the home ferrets
compared with the ones turned in.  That person is seeing in the
family-ferrets what we see in our household so far -- the early neuters are
getting adrenal growths at a minimum of age 5 and usually older.  Another
mentioned seeing almost no adrenal growths in late-neuters in home settings
but ones at ages 5 -7 in turned-in ferrets, an age bracket similar to the
group seen in many long-time homes with their early neuters, while they
personally are seeing almost none in the late neuters in long-time ferret
homes.  Now, remember that growths might start some time before they show
up, and that it might take SEVERAL factors to contribute to growth.  (All
of this is HYPOTHETICAL, of course, since the studies needed just plain
don't exist and they won't exist till the funding does, and the funding
won't exist till people stop expecting everyone else to provide it.) One
noticed that most of the early adrenals she was noticing involved ferrets
which had not received their shots which brings up several possible
questions.
 
Anyway, we (They may reveal who they are if they so wish but I haven't
gotten permission, yet.) want to hear from people who have had ferrets
which developed early adrenals to get details ON CASES BELOW THE AGE OF 5
YEARS:
 
- Early neuter?  Late neuter?  Non-neutered?
- Source?
- Breeder?
- Lighting?
- Age at discovery of illness?  At start of symptoms?  Please, try to give
  to nearest 1/2 year if can.  Tell us if age is estimated or known.  If
  estimated what is the slush (1/2 year or less, 1 year, over one year)?
- Gender?
- How much FULL darkness, as in pitch black?
- What foods?
- How much exercise?
- If cage then how big a cage so that they can exercise even when in?
- How often cuddled and played with and for how long (per day and per week)?
- Have the ferrets been to shows or gatherings with a number of other
  ferrets?
- Past illnesses?
- Shot history?
- General Location?  (state/province, country)
- Whatever else you can think of...
- Whatever else folks want tacked on since someone may notice something
  useful.
 
COULD WE ALSO HAVE THIS INFO FOR LATE-NEUTERS AND NON-NEUTERS OF ANY AGE
WHO DEVELOP ADRENAL GROWTHS?
 
WE WILL ALSO BE HAPPY TO HAVE FOR HOUSEHOLDS WITH LATE ADRENALS IN
EARLY-NEUTER FERRETS AS A COMPARISON BASE, OR IT MAY BE THAT THE INFO WILL
BE COLLECTED LATER FOR COMPARISON.
 
ARE THERE ANY STATISTICIANS OR FOLKS LESS RUSTY THAN I AM WHO ARE WILLING
TO DONATE TIME TO DO THE NUMBERS?
 
Please, post these as well as sending them to me unless that makes you
uncomfortable.  NO ONE IS LAYING BLAME.  Housing and cares situations
differ, and it may well be that they are not contributing to rates or ages,
but just in case the ignorance WHICH WE ALL CURRENTLY SHARE is contributing
to the ages such growths appear, or in case there might be multiple factors
which are actually ones we can control THEN information from households
with early adrenal tumors could be very important because if we get lucky
and notice some patterns maybe they will pan out to have some value when
looked into.  This might be a way to reduce your own chances of having it
happen again while helping all the rest of us.  It might be fruitless, but
it might be useful, so why not at least give it a try and see if anything
might be learned?
 
There have been situations in which adrenal cases where looked at before,
but none of us know of one where early cases were specifically considered
separately.  PLEASE, let us know if the ages are estimates or are known
to the nearest 1/2 year (or less), or to the nearest year.  Please answer
EVERY segment above.
 
Oh, and in reply to the person worried about degrees of illness, the FML
represents over 3,000 readers.  Some also are shelter parents.  If you take
a (possibly conservative) average number of 5 ferrets per householdthat's
over 15,000 ferrets which makes the health-complaint rate seem quite small.
 
I apologize for shouting so much; don't really feel up to going back and
correcting trying to figure out how to get attention without doing so;
think I'll go take a hit of my asthma breather instead.
 
Sukie
 
Shoot, I've gone and deleted some of the addresses I should send this to.
You know who you are so write me if want to, please.
[Posted in FML issue 2686]