Hi everyone,
I am very very frustrated right now, and quite frankly starting to feel
angry.  I called the vet that I saw last and told him what Dr. Williams,
Dr. Purcell and a couple of shelter workers have told me regarding adrenal
disease and surgery, clinical signs and lack of correlation with lesion
severity, etc... and he STILL is hesitant to do the surgery.  He is willing
but he said he would still like me to try and do an ultrasound and a
tennessee panel, otherwise he is saying it's exploratory (which we all know
is the bottom line with these things no matter what tests/panels are run).
I also found out that he has only done about a dozen adrenals and he is one
of the top two recommended ferret vets here in Columbus.  I am at a loss.
He is concerned about it being a right adrenal and 'warned' me he might not
be able to remove it all.  I told him that was fine.  I would not want him
trying to remove more than he felt comfortable with.  I could tell he was
still hesitant after I told him all the various things everyone has told
me and asked if he'd feel more comfortable consulting with Dr. Weiss,
Williams, etc. and he said that yes, he would (he knows their names which
is good).  While this sounds good, I had to ask about three times and offer
a phone number before he 'bit'.  So I'm still skeptical.
 
I don't know if I should even ask this question but how can one assess
someone's competence at adrenal surgery (left or right) ?  Is a dozen or so
surgeries 'enough'.  If this is really too much to answer which I suspect
it is, just take it as my frustration and lack of knowlege as to what to
do.  I'd drive to another state if that's what it takes though that seems a
tad ridiculous.  I can't figure out why so many vets are so stubborn in the
face of what seems to be overwhelming evidence (a year of hair loss and no
regrowth along with other signs) and overwhelming opinions by those names
even they know are considered ferret "experts".  Each day that goes by
scares me even more, not knowing what is going on inside of the girls.  I
know you have all done more than I could have ever expected and right now
all I need is to share my thoughts.  Please pray for my girls..that nothing
happens to them while I struggle to find someone who will do these
surgeries.  Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome though I am not
sure there is much more I can do.  I have only one other idea -there is one
surgeon at school I have been told I might address directly and that might
be more 'amenable'..but even he is 'off clinics' right now and I"m not sure
when he is returning.  I want what is best for my girls but I don't want to
wait too long.  Wish me luck.
 
I wanted to respond and expand on my post and Sukie's reply to my post
regarding the dissemination of information but right now I'm too upset.
Please think about your experiences with vets and for the VETS out there,
please think about what has been the major roadblocks in this area.  I have
been looking at different areas I might do some independent studies
research in school and while I have had some vague areas of interest, I
have a meeting wednesday to see if a particular professor would let me do
this for an independent studies course.  I would definately require your
collective experiences.  This is one way you CAN make a difference-each of
you.  Just take the time now to think about your personal experiences with
respect to this issue.  I will let you know if I can incorporate this into
my curriculum.  Whether I can or can't, it's an area I don't plan to let
drop.
 
Also, If you have emailed me lately and I haven't responded.  I will.  I
have been quite ill for a few weeks now and have not had time to go through
my mailbox.  I've also been very overwhelmed with this issue of finding a
competent ferret-vet.  Please be patient and don't hesitate to email me if
you have any more thoughts or ideas.
 
Michaela Maurice
College of Veterinary Medicine
Ohio State University
Class of 2002
[Posted in FML issue 2839]