>Dr. Williams (or anyone else who would like to answer), I know that
>surgery is the preferred tratment for adrenal disease.  My question is,
>is the case for surgery in females as urgent as males?
 
Dear Ronnie:
 
I don;t generally ascribe urgency for surgery based on gender.  Of course,
a male ferret experiencing prostatitis and interruption of urine outflow
is an emergency for any reason - without being able to urinate, uremia can
ensue in a matter of a few days, and structural damage to the urinary tract
can result from increased pressure.
 
Because of the wider urethra in females and the lack of a prostate, we
don't see this problem in females.  Also, only a minority of males with
adrenal disease develop prostatic disease - however, the frequency of
this finding does increase with the time that an adrenal lesion is left
untreated.
 
The key is to treat adrenal disease as soon as possible after diagnosis -
whiel it is not an emergency in most cases, it may eventually become one.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 3238]