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Post by Samantha :) on Aug 28, 2015 11:57:34 GMT -5
I go to a new vet on the 1st, one I feel more comfortable with. I'm new to the whole adrenal thing. Is surgery the best way to treat this? I've been reading different things and I'm confused.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2015 12:09:04 GMT -5
What I was told, is that the surgery isn't 100%. There's a chance they could go in there and remove the wrong adrenal (per vet, apparently you can't see it on imaging very well). My best suggestion to you is to look into the DES implant. Melatonin implants work too but in my experience they didn't last as long (maybe around 4 months, but then 3... never had that problem with the DES). And it all depends on how your ferret responds. You may be counseled to start with the melatonin, and if that doesn't work to try the DES. Personally, I wouldn't recommend the surgery at all unless of course the vet thought it was cancerous AND they're giving you a good prognosis. When I found out my one guy was adrenal (the hair loss was minimal, the real give away was he was starting to get aggressive with his buddies), I did melatonin first, then DES. Both worked wonders for him, his coat became fuller and he was definitely happier. Hope that helps  |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2015 12:14:42 GMT -5
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Post by Samantha :) on Aug 28, 2015 12:34:06 GMT -5
Ace is about four years old. I rescued her and she's only been with me for a few weeks.
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Post by raynebc on Aug 28, 2015 12:36:23 GMT -5
My first ferret died very soon after her adrenalectomy. Never again. I will pursue the DES implant if my business ever encounters this terrible disease.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2015 12:37:03 GMT -5
Ace is a great name. Is she your first ferret?
This article was on the small animal channel:
Surgery
The most effective treatment is to surgically remove the abnormal adrenal gland. If the left adrenal gland is the one affected, it is generally easier to remove than the right. If the right gland is affected, surgery is more difficult because the right adrenal gland lies very close to the vena cava, the large blood vessel that returns blood from the body to the heart. Sometimes it is not possible to remove the entire right adrenal gland because of this. Surgery will greatly benefit an animal that has itching, whereas some of the medical treatments may not.
Medical Treatment
The goal of medical treatment is to decrease the signs of adrenal gland disease. Medical treatment will not cure the condition, and must be given for the life of the animal. Most of the therapies are quite expensive.
Leuprolide acetate (Lupron Depot) can be given as an injection, and is usually given every 4 weeks. Resistance to this medication can occur.
Arimidex is an oral medication that blocks the effects of estrogen. Like leuprolide, resistance may occur, and it may take over a month to see results. It may have a slightly better effect against itching than the other medical therapies.
Flutamide is an oral medication that blocks the effects of some of the male sex hormones. It may help reduce the size of the prostate, and can also be used to help reduce some of the other signs of ferret adrenal disease.
Melatonin has shown some success alleviating the symptoms of adrenal gland disease in ferrets. It is given orally or as an implant. It may be used alone, but often has to be used in conjunction with other therapies. Caution must be used if this melatonin is used in ferrets who also have an insulinoma.
Mitotane (Lysodren) is a drug that reduces the amount of hormone being produced by a benign inoperable tumor, extending the quality life time of the ferret. Unfortunately it has side effects, and is no longer commonly used.
Prognosis for ferrets with adrenal gland tumors
If left untreated, ferrets with adrenal gland tumors usually lose all but the hair on their heads and a tuft on the tail tip. Their skin gets very thin, they have a pot-bellied appearance, and they sleep most of the time. Fortunately, although they have an odd appearance with almost no fur on their bodies, ferrets with benign adrenal gland tumors can live a reasonably normal life, if they do not become anemic due to high levels of estrogen. Jills often appear to be in heat, and because this is associated with a swollen and open vulva, they are susceptible to urinary tract infections. Neutered or intact male ferrets may develop life-threatening urinary obstruction because high hormone levels cause the prostate gland to hypertrophy (enlarge) and constrict the neck of the bladder.
Some tumors are malignant and do not respond to medical treatments. They metastasize to other organs or recur after removal. Ferrets with malignant tumors have a short life expectancy after diagnosis.
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Post by Samantha :) on Aug 28, 2015 14:41:35 GMT -5
This is not my first ferret. My business has always been healthy and no health issues (knock on wood). My oldest, Hugo, just turned eight years old and is still running around like a youngster. He is the leader of the group and is so good with other ferrets. I've only had Ace less than a month and this is my first time ever dealing with Adrenal disease. My business ranges from 1 year to 8 years.  |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2015 14:49:42 GMT -5
Hooray for Hugo. I hope you have many more good times with him. I know Adrenal or something is waiting around the bend for my business. It happens to all of us. We've dealt with Lymphoma and Insulinoma but not Adrenal yet (knock on more wood). It's a bit early yet in some place and some ferrents are working, but someone will post their experiences and hopefully that will give you something to work with.  |
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Post by Heather on Aug 28, 2015 15:08:44 GMT -5
I won't do adrenal surgery. Lost a ferret to that and have heard of too many dying while on the table or shortly after. The fact that it's next to impossible to get the whole tumour as it has often affected the right side and most vets do not want to mess with that delicate a surgery thus allowing the whole adrenal issue to return as close to 6 months later...no, I don't advocate the surgery. I rely on the DES or superlorin implant 4.7mg. This is implanted every 6 months on adrenal ferrets. I use melatonin (oral) as a support but would advocate using ferretonin (melatonin implant) to any that use the DES.
ciao
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Post by Samantha :) on Aug 28, 2015 15:18:13 GMT -5
Whats the life span for a ferret with adrenal if treated properly?
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Post by Heather on Aug 28, 2015 15:22:10 GMT -5
It's hard to say....there are so many factors. The longest I've ever had so far is Atreyu. He's going on 3 yrs now. He'd probably been better if they'd not run out of the drug and I had to resort using lupron. The tumours became very aggressive during the 4 months that I was treating him with Lupron. I almost lost him. Now, he's that much more weaker because of it. Boris was coming up on 3 yrs of treatment but when they ran out of the drug, he couldn't fight two battles (he had a heart condition that was diagnosed when he was 2 yrs old). He lost his battle with adrenal.
ciao
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2015 15:39:37 GMT -5
I would think this is something you would have to discuss with your vet at length for the different options, because each case is different and there is no set rules of what works best.
One of mine has adrenal disease, but not a cancerous tumor yet. She has been doing great on the Desilorin implant for three years, going on four now. She gets a new implant every year as soon as the symptoms start to show up again.
A foster ferret that lives with me now also has adrenal. He had his cancerous left adrenal gland removed this past winter. The clinic that the shelter is associated with has trouble getting the Desilorin implants in, so he is getting monthly lupron shots now. He is doing quite well after his surgery, but he still has his adrenal symptoms every once in a while. He gets aggressive with the lady ferrets, and twice since January I have seen a couple of adrenal sores on him. But the surgery itself went very well, and he has greatly improved from the condition he was in before it.
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Post by Sherry on Aug 28, 2015 17:24:34 GMT -5
I won't do the surgery either. In fact my vet is more hesitant as well now. Survival with surgery, even if successful, doesn't appear to give them much better odds than simply treating they symptoms with medication like the deslorelin implant, or monthly lupron injections.
I get an average of 3 years following diagnosis.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2015 19:52:46 GMT -5
We have had surgery for both adrenals, even in connection with other complications. We have also had the most complicated Adrenal surgery there is, a Vena Cava Ligation, and it was a tough decision but it was the right one. It's really a matter of two choices. Do you want to possibly cure your ferret, or just control symptoms from the illness. We chose the former. The maker of the implant clearly states in all materials that it is not a cure and that surgery is the only cure. This is an indisputable fact.
Search Long Beach Animal Hospital and Adrenal Disease in Google. Read this.
Search West End Animal Animal Clinic and Adrenal disease in Google. Read this.
I'm available to chat privately if you'd like as this topic over the past couple of years have sparked heated debate which we are not interested in.
My experience, some vets would rather treat the symptoms b/c it's easier and less risk to their practice. They have even convinced many owners this is the right choice. But, when you read the research and ignore the noise the choice becomes more an answer of finances rather than which is better for your baby.
Any good ferret vet will work with you to keep costs down, and should have practiced enough hands to work on your baby. If yours is not, I recommend a second opinion. I can refer you to someone who charges $50 for a consult, is absolutely fantastic and known across the country for her work with ferrets. Additionally Ferrets are almost always excellent candidates for surgery because they do so well even in adverse conditions, so please ask more questions if you vet uses this as a reason not to operate.
Again we'd be happy to talk with you. We've not only read the information needed to make this tough decision, we've made the decision many times and have never regretted it. Not once. Our Albus was in terrible shape, he had many years of great life quality as a result of our decisions.
This is a tough time and we are sorry for the pressure you are under, and the situation you and your furrbaby are in. We will dook for you both.
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Post by Samantha :) on Aug 29, 2015 9:55:51 GMT -5
Thanks for the info! This is my first time dealing with adrenal and I want to make the right choice for Ace. Moneys not a factor, just getting her better is.
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