Here is the best place for you and your vet to learn about new approaches
(surgical and non-surgical) for adrenal growths: go to the Charlie Weiss's
site at
http://www.ferretdoctor.com.
 
Also, be SURE to go to: http://www.afip.org, to
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc, and to http://www.ferretcentral.org.
All have vet-written info to copy for your vet.  The first two are
essential and likely to be the most up-to-date since they are entirely
done by vets.  Charlie Weiss's video was made to teach vets what they'd
otherwise get in an even more expensive seminar; he's tops for improving
surgical techniques for these guys and just as incredible for finding and
studying new medical approaches.
 
Actually, there are nutrients in fruit: minerals (one reason that people on
certain meds often have fresh bananas around for the potassium, ditto
ferrets on Lasix/Furosemide), some compounds which appear to help prevent
cancers (as in the ones found in red grapes, blueberries, bilberries,
etc.), some tannins which prevent bacteria from sticking to bladder walls
(cranberries and blueberries which we have used in past to help ferrets
with bladder infection along with medical treatment with fine results),
etc..  I don't know how dried fruits stack up for any nutrients but do
know that dried blueberries and cranberries seem to work very well for the
tannins in ferrets and humans.  Still it's important to know that there is
a lot more to fruits than sugars.  Heck, there's a lot more to many food
than many folks realize; iceberg lettuce is often written about as a solid
medium for water and little fibre but not much more, yet, just last week I
read that's it's fine source of Vitamin K.  This is not to say that it's
not important to take into account the bits remaining on teeth and how they
may contribute to decay, or that too much can bloat in the stomach causing
vomiting, or can result in additional problems like blockages (carrots, and
some dried bananas, perhaps esp.  if oiled), or tendency to eat too little
of the essential of foods, etc.  It is important to know that fruits and
veggies are not empty calories or almost empty ones like soda pop, some
juices, many candies, and so on through a range of junk foods.  It is also
important to know that some dried foods have a great deal of sugar added in
the process and to take that into account.  Ferrets are obligate carnivores
and treats need to be in moderation.  Then again, we are omnivores and our
treats also need to be in moderation.  There's too much of tendency among
people in the industrialized world to displace good food that have
essential nutrients with treats (Just look at how most Americans of either
gender and any age group are not now getting enough calcium as an example
and compare it to increases in the consumption of soda pop and diluted
juices, and this is even though there are more and more alternative ways to
add calcium to each day's diet; BTW, too little calcium in humans is also
linked to PMS, and to accelerated fat gain, and some other health problems
according to a Tuft's newsletter -- at least some of which will be coming
under study, and, yes, it is possible also to have too much as possibly
with any nutrient but that is vanishingly rare.).  When the junk-food habit
is carried over to the ferrets it can only do harm.
 
Elderly Meeteetse's urine will be removed by vet for testing but looks
clear, light, and normally pigmented, without foul odor.  Her feces is
starting to become especially rank and strong, now -- quite like Mom's was
with her malignancy.  It will wake me up if she goes to the bathroom in a
different room.  She's just had two extremely good days in row, and today
she is resting more but is not complaining at all and not acting unhappy.
[Posted in FML issue 3203]