Karen E. Marsh-Lovvorn
  Executive Education
  Fuqua School of Business
  Duke University
  Durham, NC 27708
  [log in to unmask]
Hi All!  I saw an article in Weds.  issue by Debbie Riccio on adrenal
tumors in ferrets & a report by Mary VanDame was mentioned.  Does anyone
know where I can get a copy?  I've been taking care of a "sick" ferret
(some of you may have seen my post on alt.pets.ferrets a couple weeks ago.)
This 14 month old female (Marshall Ferret) started exhibiting symptoms of
estrus about a month ago & her "Mom" brought her to me 2 weeks ago because
she wasn't eating or drinking & had a swollen vulva.  3 vets told me they
felt she was in heat & I took her in to be re-spayed Weds.  Turns out she
already HAD been spayed & all the vet who did the surgery could find was
some "unusual glandular tissue" attached bilaterally to her stomach wall.
She said it looked like "little buds" & had an excellent blood supply.  She
biopsied one of them & sent it off for pathological evaluation (we should
have results in a week or so).  We also attempted to artifically breed the
ferret to bring her out of heat but don't know if it worked yet.  She's
back at my house, apparently quite healthy (& eating/drinking normally).
Her only symptomd now are a dry coat & still-swollen vulva.  The vets & I
discussed adrenal tumors but they felt it was unlikely because of her age.
I don't know what an adrenal tumor "looks" like in a ferret, but SOMETHING
is certainly going on with her!  The only other possibility we can think of
is that the spay was incomplete & they "missed" part of her uterus or
ovaries - which could account for the "little buds" if they weren't in such
a strange place.  Sorry this is so long but it's DRIVING ME NUTS!!!  Thanks
for any help!
Karen & the gang (Lao Bear, Gurgey, Puka, Samantha - & visiting
ferret, Baby)
[Posted in FML issue 1221]