Has the vet determined the TYPE of anemia present? That is IMPORTANT. (Also, how is his blood glucose?) Given his adrenal disease, marrow suppression has to be considered and what he might need is surgery with a big male blood donor handy. Ferrets don't have blood types, BTW. Epogen or Procrit can be used for some types of anemia if they are bad but not horrid and Arimidex may be used with at least one of those. That happens more often with female ferrets but both females and males have both the estrogens (so called "female" hormones), and the androgens (so called "male" hormones like testosterone), just in different proportions usually and they both perform functions in both. The estrogens are older hormones and perform more functions (at least a hundred having been found compared to perhaps dozens for the androgens), even being important for brain functions. See vet posts like: http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL7651 http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL5714 http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG15827 http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG15755 In situations where the marrow totally fails (more common with use of store-bought flea products) a marrow transplant can be done and it is a LOT simpler for ferrets than for people but it MUST be done before the health is terribly compromised when the marrow is failing: http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG16195 In adrenal disease in ferrets the hormone producing portions of the adrenal cortex tend to be what is involved, but there are other non- gonad producers of hormones, for example, fat can produce some estrogens as well as some types of hormones that are not also tied to reproductive uses. Sukie (not a vet) Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html http://www.miamiferret.org/ http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html all ferret topics: http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html "All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow." (2010, Steve Crandall) [Posted in FML 6747]
