There has been controversy over the 24 hour lupron since it became
available through our vet and his pharmacy.  Just as in Jeri's
experience, it has worked in our ferrets.
 
I mainly use it to help the boys avoid prostate problems.  I've used it
for girls too though.  Most recently I've used it on Angel and Ferris.
Angel is 7 yrs old and second time adrenal.  I chose not to have surgery
for her a second time.  Angel had her first 24 hour lupron injection 2
months ago and her second a month ago.  Angels vulva was extremely
enlarged initially.  The first month I didn't see any decrease but 1
week
after her 2nd lupron injection her vulva decreased to almost normal
size.
Ferris has had 3 adrenal surgeries and is 8.5 years old.  I chose not to
put him through another surgery.  Ferris normally has prostate problems
when he becomes adrenal.  He is on this lupron and responding well.
 
As with Angel, some ferrets noticeably respond after the 2nd or 3rd
injection, 2nd and 3rd month respectively, and the boys with prostate
issues responded sooner in MY experience.  I've seen adjustments in
attitude, mating behavior, prostate and vulva.
 
Before Larry made lupron available to general ferret people, he used it
for some time on his patients - we were in that category as well as
others that I know.  The main intent was to avoid prostate problems in
males and it has worked well for that purpose in our experience.
 
If you ask Larry if this is lupron depot he will tell you it isn't.  If
you ask him for the monthly lupron you will receive this lupron.  We
give
it monthly and even though it isn't the depot form it works for that
amount of time in our experience.  The difference in wording may be
causing some confusion.
 
John had written a very good explanation of how lupron works.  I don't
know why the 24 hour lupron works longer than 24 hours but in my
experience it has in most cases.  I've used the 4 mo depot with mixed
results as well.  I had 1 ferret that took 8 weeks to start responding
to the depot form then 3 months later he was showing adrenal signs and
I've had 4 ferrets not respond to the depot form at all.
 
Now for those that might have issues with Larry's intentions, I can
vouch for them being honorable.  Larry wanted to find an inexpensive
alternative to help ferrets when they weren't surgical candidates and
when their people couldn't afford the more expensive treatments (lupron
depot) or surgery.  Larry makes very little off the lupron, a matter of
two dollars, and he's lost quite a bit more than that due to higher
FedEx shipping and his not raising the shipping cost.  The average FedEx
shipping charge is up to $35 per shipment.  Larry goes out of his way to
help others.  He's always been willing to take long distance calls from
people I referred to him, spends hours going over cases trying to figure
them out doing so without ever receiving a penny for these efforts.
 
I've talked with Larry about this issue and his response is that it has
worked for his patients in his experience and if someone wants to use
it that's fine, if they don't that's fine too.  He's saddened that a
ferret may be euthanized because the people can't afford more expensive
treatments and aren't advised of alternatives.  We have personal
experience of this at vetmed.  An otherwise healthy 4 yr old adrenal
female was euthanized because her people couldn't afford the $600-800
adrenal surgery and they were not told of any alternatives.  The ferret
was eating well, activity normal, and bald.... Unfortunately I heard
about it after she had been killed.
 
I've had Larry send this lupron to many people at my expense- to help
ferrets in similar situations.  If I didn't have personal experience
with it working, I wouldn't.
 
There are also variables in the disease process that may contribute to
how a drug works.  Working in a scientific field I'm familiar with study
variables (not on animals - on crops).
 
Bottom line is that not all ferrets will react the same to any drug.
 
If the lupron Larry makes available is being used by anyone out here
(there are many vets that use it) and they are seeing positive results
on
this monthly dose, please post your detailed experiences so others can
see if it is possibly an option for their ferrets if they can't afford
the more costly treatment.  And yes, if you've used it and it hasn't
worked for your ferret, you can post too.
 
hugs. tle
Troy Lynn Eckart, F.B.S.
Ferret Family Services
http://www.ferretfamilyservices.org
http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~sprite/ffs.html
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Haven/5481/
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[Posted in FML issue 4554]