According to Dr. Charles Weiss, some of the Lupron studies popping up now
are using dosages that are too low, and sometimes far too low, to be
effective.  He's contacting one of the study veterinarians (a new resident)
to discuss it with him, but I highly recommend that your vets contact Dr.
Weiss at (301) 299-4142 to discuss dosages before putting your ferrets on
Lupron.
 
If the dosages aren't right, word is going to get out that Lupron isn't
effective, although Dr. Weiss has had a 100% success rate with it.  Keep
in mind that while it has great benefits for non-surgical candidates it is
not a cure; some vets are passing it off as one.
 
Last Friday a woman drove down from NYC to Maryland to see Dr. Weiss.  She
was frantic over her two adrenal ferrets, who had been given low doses of
lupron by a major clinic.  There had been no change, and one male had been
straining to urinate for 2 1/2 weeks - which often points to a malignant
adrenal tumor.
 
She didn't speak English, had no appointment, just appeared with her son to
help translate.  Luckily, a couple of the surgical techs at the hospital
speak fluent Spanish, so the poor woman could finally get her questions
answered.
 
The ferrets WERE surgical candidates, and were operated on successfully and
doing well, when I left the hospital that day (I was there for a Gabby the
Googer BG test).  A hotel was found for the woman and her son.
 
The point is, dosage matters - a lot - and remember that surgery is still
preferable for ferrets who can tolerate the sugery.  By the way, you can
get Lupron in 1-month, 2-month and 4-month doses.  The 4-month are the most
cost effective, and of course, convenient.
 
Meanwhile, Troy Lynn's vet, Larry, is doing very interesting things with
storage (unfortunatley the mixed Lupron has a very short shelf-life that
Dr. Weiss is currently testing), and I suggest people contact Troy Lynn
for more info and for her vet's phone number.  Her email address is:
[log in to unmask]
 
BTW, there are two other medicines that Dr. Weiss also tested for his
adrenal meds study.  They do not have as HIGH a percentage of successes,
but for those ferrets that they do help, they help just as much as the
Lupron (if that makes sense).  So your vets may want to touch base about
them as well.  They are less expensive and can be worth a try.
 
Dr. Weiss' article about the meds study was submitted to the journal last
week.  Unfortunately, the takes a long time, but you'll know as soon as
copies are available.
 
A footnote: At this time Dr. Weiss is not charging vets for phone consults,
though he has had to start charging owners, just as an attempt to cut down
the massive number of calls he's getting, not because he doesn't want to
talk to owners.  He hasn't yet found a cure for expanding the 24-hour day.
 
All the best -
[Posted in FML issue 2700]