Okay, first off, the symptoms Ardith and her friend are seeing might
actually be infection -- and with one who was not implanted in one of
those two households that becomes more likely -- and I have not seen
any posts from anyone who minded her asking, but did mind a number of
the replies Why?
What Ardith asked about was possibly unusual IF the cause was not
adrenal disease itself (which can cause marrow failure) and Ardith was
implanting for prevention rather than for treatment, and if alternative
and well known causes such as a range of infections, accidental
poisoning, severe allergies, and a few other things were removed from
the equation by also testing for those at the same time which seems
to not have happened, so it was reasonable to ask but it was also
reasonable to carefully test at the same time but sadly sometimes
vets do not do that unless a client requests it though in all honesty
the vet SHOULD point out which tests would greatly help.
The problems for introducing confusion and panic happened with replies,
and the big reasons that those have been questionable is because the
vast majority of the complaints have been
1. About symptoms other than the ones Ardith noted and even worse the
vast majority have been
2. Blaming the implants for things that are NORMAL COMPLICATIONS OF
ADRENAL DISEASE. Why is that upsetting? It is upsetting because it
means that the people did not learn about adrenal disease, adrenal
disease complications, and what to do when such complications arise. It
is always essential to learn about an illness when someone has it and
there are so many online resources, a number of which are always in my
sig lines. Their not learning beforehand could place their own ferrets
at increased risk. It also means that they have perhaps confused
treatment with cure. Some adrenal growths that are not removed simply
will eventually become carcinoma and harder to control. Sorry, but that
is just a fact. Some will not and for those ferrets using the implants
often enough will provide control.
When people jump on and blame almost anything on a treatment several
things happen.
A. The person seeking an answer never gets one that is
applicable. As a result nothing is learned. In this case add to
non-applicable replies that the vet was not testing for well known
alternative causes, and not doing histopathology as well as a necropsy.
That is a combo for disaster. It means that the cause remains unknown
and treatment that may be needed is delayed or never done. Remember
that the symptoms best match some infections, especially some very
nasty species of the smaller size genus of coccidia, and that coccidia
often requires multiple tests to be found. When coccidia is present --
which it may or may not be in this case -- it is essential to treat all
individuals of all species that get that coccidia species and to deeply
clean since the oocytes can remain in cracks in the household. The
nastier forms also need longer treatment. Coccidia is not the only
known cause of such symptoms that needs to be checked into. If other
animals in the household or the ferrets go outside that increases the
chances of coccidia though people can bring it in, too.
B. People become fearful of good approaches, especially if they have
not learned enough to realize that the others are blaming the approach
for something else, even something that is known to be caused by the
disease that is being treated.
C. In this case it could delay having a useful implant medication
become available through the U.S. branch of Virbac, making the implants
remain harder to get. That can delay treatment for ferrets who are not
surgical candidates, sometimes for too long, and it could keep the
costs higher than they could be with U.S. distribution which means
that the ferrets of people who are having money troubles might remain
without any needed treatment or with insufficient treatment.
D. The minority who seem to post just for attention begin to appear
and stir things up once things spiral too badly. Sad to say, but there
are a few who sometimes appear out of the blue saying things that make
no sense, making attention garnering promises they do not keep (like
promising huge donations they could never cover), or stirring the pot
by saying things that make no sense or are without explanation once
people are already in a panic.
There HAVE been several things that became obvious in the discussion:
almost no one has encountered the symptoms Ardith and her friend
encountered with similar timing (though many have seen them with other
causes once a person looks in the archives, and now one of them also
has a ferret who never had an implant having the same symptoms), and
most of the people who are worried about the implant due to past
experience seem to be blaming the implant for problems that are well
known -- and sometimes very commonly -- to be caused by out of control
adrenal disease.
So far I am coming from this discussion with an even better impression
of the implants than I had before specificially because I am learning
that people with reservations are actually talking about problems
caused by the disease rather than by the treatment, though I am keeping
an open mind till there have been tests done that narrow down the
cause. That is essential.
People MUST remember that histopathology is absolutely essential.
Necropsy without that might spot the cause of death in maybe ten
percent of the cases but that further testing is essential. See
two past posts or Google or see my sig lines when I using my other
computer for contact info for the Michigan State Ferret Health
Advancement group, or use Google or the past posts to contact
NW Zoopath.
It is also essential to test for possible alternative causes like
salmonella spread from a dog eatting any of the Diamond dog foods being
recalled and the ferrets getting it, or from birds or reptiles, or
coccidia which still perhaps is not being tested for often enough or
at BOTH magnifications needed for Isospora and Eimera, or...
Coincidences happen and this discussion might involve nothing more
than that.
Ardith is keeping an open mind and requesting more testing when
possible. That will protect the other animals in her household. I
wanted to copy this post to her but her addies is not on my iPad.
I am sure that Becca or Alex will forward it.
[Posted in FML 7417]
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