The trick with bilateral adrenalectomies is the same one for if there
there is or might be an atrophied adrenal remaining (the position Hjalmar
was in years ago).  The adrenals produce products essential for life.  If
a bilateral operation does not leave in enough adrenal tissue to provide
these products (and sometimes the adrenals have to come out cleanly and
fully) then the ferret WILL go into an Addisons Crisis which WILL be
fatal -- UNLESS needed medications provide these products.  The medicines
used are Percorten or Florinef/Fludrocort with Prednisone/Prenisolone or
rarely with Dex when a ferret just doesn't respond to the Pred.  Ferret
DO do well on these meds long term, and it is not unusual to find ones
like our very athletic Ashling (who is 6 and 1/2 years old) who have been
on the meds for years.
 
You can read about this in many places.  If you look at the post I sent
today to the FML on Insulinoma you will find several leads on places
which have great info on a number of medical things.  Also be sure to
read up on post-op precautions and care.
----
 
Melatonin can reduce or reverse some symptoms (especially furloss), but
it is NOT a treatment.  Surgery is usually the treatment of choice and so
far is the only proven way to possibly cure adrenal neoplasia and some
adrenal malignancies.  Melatonin might reduce onset of a adrenal growths,
as may at least 14 hours of true darkness in each 24 hour period.  I
suggest that you read the FHL posts of Dr. Jerry Murray which I carried
over from the FHL in the FML Archives (See FML digest header for URL.),
and also seek his posts in the FHL Archives by using your topic and using
AFERRETVET in the "from" box.  I gave the URL for the FHL Archives in the
other post I am sending today (on insulinoma).
 
Ah what the heck, I find that I have to twice supply another addy today:
Here is the FHL Archives one:
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org
and here is the FML Archives one:
http://listserv.cuny.edu/archives/ferret-search.html
----
 
Finding vets:  the critical refs in http://www.ferretcongress.org
have multiple listings (They differ.) of vets who have been recommended
for ferrets.
----
 
>>1. What age "should" a ferret start slowing down?  -- Taking long rest
>>breaks while playing, losing more in wrestling contests, more content
>>to sleep in human's lap,...
 
>1. Ferrets will start slowing down between 4 and 6 yrs old unless they
>are ill.
 
I just want to point out that what constitutes slowing down varies among
ferrets.  For 6 and 1/2 year old Ashling it means that it she less
commonly drags the tv remote which weighs 1/4 of what she does to the
closet and she only climbs up 4 feet (around 1.2 meters) high to stash
it in the closet now as opposed to twice as high.  She is more active at
this age than some have been at any age.
 
And, as I repeat regularly: I am not a vet.
 
Sukie
 
"It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no
god.  It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."
Thomas Jefferson
[Posted in FML issue 4262]