>From:    "Phyllis A. Smith" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Lupron as a preventative
>
>...I took Generosity to the vet today.  He has both insulinoma and
>Adrenal cancer.  The vet was telling me that they had been participating
>in a scientific study on prevention and the use of .Lupron.  Their
>findings is that if an annual dose of Lupron if started early enough
>will prevent adrenal cancer and it will help other ferrets not getting
>it as early.
>
>The results are in the process of being published.  It will be a few
>months down the road.  Like he said it will take time to get through
>the ferret vet community.  If you are interested in passing this good
>news onto your vet, he said he would be glad to talk to them.  There
>web site is a work in progress but here is the web address
><http://www.birddr.com/>.
>If any of you are interested in the clinics phone number please email
>me personally at [log in to unmask]  ...
 
Good Evening everyone,
 
I Just wanted to comment regarding the above post.  I am not sure if your
vet is referring to the Adrenal Study that Dr. Cathy Johnson Delaney has
been doing over the past 2 and half years or not.  I know that Dr.
Delaney has been involved with other vets regarding this study including
the University of Tennessee that does the Adrenal Panel.
 
Many of the ferrets here at my house were in this study.  One of the
finding is that giving Lupron once a year from the time the ferret
becomes mature, that it will hopefully stop the growth of the Adrenal
tumors.  I know she is giving all of the 6 ferrets that I fostered for
her for two years Lupron each year now.  She could already tell which
ones at a year were already beginning to show hormonal signs after
sending in the adrenal panels on these ferrets.  All of the six ferrets
she had came from Marshall Farms as babies to a pet store and Dr. Delaney
got them as kits and I had them from the time she got them till they were
over 18 months.  They are now over two years old.
 
Also during the adrenal study we found out that by giving both Jills and
Hobs Lupron when they came into season that the Lupron would take them
out of season.  Then the Jills and Hobs would come back into season and
was able to produce kits after having been on Lupron.  So far the kits
that were born from these ferrets parents have had no problems and are so
far in perfect health.I have been using Lupron with ferrets here that are
adrenal and so far all of them have grown back their fur and no long have
any of the adrenal symptoms.  One of the ferrets here that was in the
study is still living after 2 and half years.  You would not know that
she is adrenal.
 
I do know that Dr. Delaney and the other vets involved in this study is
in the process of publishing what this study has shown.
 
Charleen and the Wa. Tails
[Posted in FML issue 4625]