Ash
New member
Posts: 8
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Post by Ash on Aug 11, 2019 18:52:40 GMT -5
Our fur-baby, George, is approximately 5-6 years old and has been on monthly Lupron for almost a year now.
Up until recently everything has been working great, but we noticed he has started losing fur again (skin is almost visible in some areas where it never was before) and he's seeming a bit more boney than usual, especially along his back and hips.
We had a quick phone consult with our vet and they recommend getting the Melatonin implant in combination with his regular Lupron, so we have an appointment booked this Saturday for a check up and the implant.
I've seen so many people on here post about great experiences with Melatonin so I'm really hopeful, but I was looking to mainly get some advice or suggestions on your experiences with the implant (like how long it took to start kicking in, how long did it last, did it really help fur growth/muscle tone etc) and if there was anything you did in the meanwhile to support your own ferrets ( dietary supplements, caloric intake etc)
I'm open to hearing anything and everything!
Thanks so much
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Post by abbeytheferret6 on Aug 12, 2019 8:30:54 GMT -5
People here now are getting the suprelorin implant. It does really great. I hear the melatonin does nothing to stop the growth of adrenal tumors--- I do not know much about the lupron---here is the website about suprelorin (we call it the des implant, for the short name of the ingredient deslorelin acetate ). us.virbac.com/home/our-products/pagecontent/product-selector/suprelorin-f-implant.htmlAll 4 of my ferrets have it--- the cost varies from vet to vet--first one of mine got it for 349.00. Then I went to another vet. It was either 50 or 75.00 cheaper--- can't remember. I did have to use care credit on some to make sure they all got it. Here is my first girl who got it---and she did have the strong musky smell that they say is associated with adrenal too. This is the first year I did it. Before I was kind of scared to implant with meds---but I no longer feel that way. Anyway, vet said they can remove implant if any side effects---which I have not heard of any. The dark spots are clogged pores the vet said. I will do this every year. Now, if I see break thru of adrenal---I hear then every 6 mos. Heather and others are more knowledgeable on this subject. Try not to expose ferrets to light when sun goes down and have some dark hidey place. I have some dark out curtain on one of my cages with shower hooks, a dark blanket on the top part on another, and some opaque bins they like sleeping in too. While this will not stop adrenal----it may delay or help in some way. Now
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Post by Heather on Aug 12, 2019 10:09:34 GMT -5
I use DES or Superlorin to treat adrenal. I do use melatonin as well but it's support only, it doesn't treat the disease. It does help with fur regrowth. I just use it with all my adrenal ferrets. I do not use it instead of it serves no purpose on it's own except mask the ravages of the disease. The DES is used every 6 months, the melatonin daily to be administered 7 to 9 hrs after sunrise. Many people cannot be there during that time so opt for the implant which is also known as the ferretonin implant. It has to be administered quarterly (every 3 or 4 months). The thing to remember about melatonin/ferretonin is that it helps with surface things like fur loss and it appears to help with MCTs ciao
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Ash
New member
Posts: 8
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Post by Ash on Aug 12, 2019 17:44:45 GMT -5
Thank you both for your responses!
I should have clarified that we've been trying to get the des implant for over a year but our regular vet and every other ferret vet around us just can't seem to get it into stock.
We were just hoping to get a little more traction by getting the melatonin implant in addition to his monthly lupron shots.
As soon as we can get the des implant we will!
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Post by Heather on Aug 14, 2019 10:13:55 GMT -5
You are aware that you have to order from Australia? not the US. Virbac pissed off the government and now you have to order directly from the source ciao
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Post by unclejoe on Aug 22, 2019 21:07:24 GMT -5
You are aware that you have to order from Australia? not the US. Virbac pissed off the government and now you have to order directly from the source ciao When did that happen? We got our last virbac implant in November. realize, you may have to buy a 2 pack and reserve the second implant, or hope the vet can sell it before it expires. our last one was US$215 ea buying the 2 pack
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Post by Heather on Sept 3, 2019 12:37:51 GMT -5
This is a Canadian issue not an American one. This had to do with paperwork and border clearances. ciao
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Post by unclejoe on Sept 5, 2019 19:28:01 GMT -5
oh gawd. for a while we in the US couldnt get it but you Canadians could/ We now have Virbac USA. THEY had a shipment stranded in Hawaiifor a couple months and we could get any for almost a year...
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Post by Heather on Sept 7, 2019 16:58:08 GMT -5
I lost a ferret to that fiasco. It was shortly after that, they screwed up some of the government paperwork that was needed to sell to Canada and the government pulled their license to sell it to Canada. So now we have to order directly from Australia and deal with a 6 week lead time. It has allowed for a more steady pricing though. ciao
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