Well, everyone here knows that most adrenal growths are not cancers,
right?  (Most should by now, but if not search the FML archives for
"Golden Oldie".  The URL is in the header of each day's FML digest.)
That is not to say that they don't need to be treated because they
certainly do and it is unfair the the ferret and irresponsible to not
treat, but I'd consider the majority of ferrets with adrenal growths to
be highly adoptable *IF* the adopter's vet says that the people have a
good history of providing either surgical or medical treatment (not just
Melatonin but ALSO Lupron Depot -- or Suprelorin Depot in countries where
that is now available -- and any needed meds for complications such as
Propecia/Proscar (often needed), Epogen and Procrit, Arimidex to try to
deal with the occasional life-threatening anemia, etc.
 
Besides adrenal growths NOT needing to be a fatal condition for the
majority of affected ferrets, shelters often simply can't afford the
care needed to avoid it becoming terminal.  So, adopting out most of
the adrenal ferrets IF if it is known that the person has a history of
providing enough medical care would actually SAVE ferrets' lives while
reducing burdens on the shelters and hospices if enough of those good
adoptive homes could be found.  I doubt that all ferrets will be that
lucky, but some may, so in that case adopting out would save ferret
lives while helping the shelters.
 
For insulinoma, again, it depends on the person adopting and what the
person's vet says.  Insulinoma is also something that does not have to
be a death sentence, though it obviously is not as easily dealt with as
adrenal growths.  If surgery is prompt -- early in the disease -- and
done by a good ferret surgeon then about 60% can be saved as per past
pathology records and comments by Dr. Bruce Williams.  Even if not saved
then -- still if a partial removal of the pancreas can be done in a
timely fashion the survival time with quality life goes up enormously
(several times over).  Plus, when meds are used many shelters can not
afford to even do a trial to see which individuals will respond to
Diazoxide, and do not have the time to keep as tightly on top of medical
needs as a family would.  So, again, if the potential adopter has a good
vet care record, then adopting out may actually be best for the ferret
unless the disease is advanced when it may prove too stressful.
 
There are a lot of medical conditions where a ferret actually has the
best chance for longest and best quality of life in an adoptive home IF
the adopter has a good history of taking proper medical care.  For some
medical conditions a shelter is NOT the best place for a ferret to remain
compared to a home where there is a history of providing good vet care;
I think that most cases of adrenal neoplasia fit that category and that
many early insulinoma cases also do as well, and perhaps some more
advanced ones.
 
Not all shelters are as medically knowledgeable as they should preferably
be, and some can't provide optimal medical care, either, due to costs.
 
Running a shelter is hard and eats up both money and time -- including
sometimes time which could be spent learning more about veterinary info.
Sad but true.  These good people are often badly overworked.
 
There are plenty of other medical conditions where an adoptive home which
has been shown to provide good veterinary care would also be better than
a shelter setting.
 
ON THE OTHER HAND,  there obviously are conditions which would make
permitting adoption questionable or downright foolish for a potential
adopter to pursue if the ferret's welfare comes first.
 
Behavioral difficulties (violence, anorexia, etc.) might reduce the
feasibility of adopting out certain ferrets, except when a treating vet
can attest that the potential adopter is a good rehabber.  Not all who
have rehabbed some seriously abused ferrets or socially handicapped
ferrets operate shelters; we are an example.  There also are shelters who
are not necessarily as good at rehabbing as some people who don't have
shelters.  On the other hand, some of these ferrets simply are not best
served by changing homes and those individuals -- for their own sake --
should stay where they are.
 
One excellent reason to not adopt out a given ferret is active ulcers
or repeated ulcers.  I can see adopting out one of the ones who is past
ulcers if on repeated visits the potential adopter is well accepted and
there is vet support for the choice, but otherwise not.
 
The same goes for ferrets with a series of actual malignancies, from
lympho to carcinoma.
 
I'd be more leery to change homes for one with megaE.
 
Most of all I would be leery of ever adopting out a ferret with advanced
heart disease.  If the heart disease is early and the adoptive family has
a good history of managing heart disease then that home would be better
than a shelter but few will fit that category.  In a home setting people
can keep more tightly on top of medical needs that come with the "roller
coaster of heart disease" than in a shelter setting -- if the ferret is
not so advanced that the change in setting would be too large a stress.
Once the heart disease is advanced, though, even things like having a few
degrees of temperature shift can be too stressful, and there are multiple
cases of people leaving home for a few days to tend to something only to
have the separation -- even if the ferret doesn't change locations -- be
too stressful for survival.  I don't think that any shelter should allow
those ferrets to be adopted except under the most extenuating
circumstances.
 
Obviously shelter ferrets should preferably be tested for ADV and ADV
positive ferrets should only be adopted out to ADV+ homes, while homes
with ADV should not be allowed to adopt ADV+ ferrets.
 
So, sometimes ferrets really should remain in shelters or hospices, but
some who are ill would be better served by homes where a vet can attest
to good medical and surgical care.  Do I think that all of the ferrets
who are in this category will be adopted?  No, of course not.  Still,
simply being ill is not by itself should not be thought to be a reason to
not adopt out a given ferret when the type of condition could be better
treated in a family setting.  There are times with sick ferrets where it
would be unfair to adopt them out, but there are also times when it is
unfair to the ferrets to not adopt them out to families who have a proven
veterinary care or rehab track record.
 
BTW, don't get caught up in the slamming of those shelter and hospices
who are trying hard; some of that is simply mean, uncalled for, and
beneath the people doing it so I am kind of embarrassed for some of them
in this regard since they can be so very constructive so often that it
is like seeing Jekyl and Hyde.  It really hurts to see friends do that.
I cringe then.
 
Sukie (not a vet)
Ferret Health List co-moderator
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives fan and regular user
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org
International Ferret Congress advisor
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 4987]