Post by abbeytheferret6 on Aug 28, 2019 5:01:07 GMT -5
I took my Annabelle infor a checkup---we discussed her balding tail--- and she wants me to give her 1 mg of melatonin for 2 or 3 weeks and get back with her. Vulva not swollen but lower nipples seemed a little red. She has Des implant for this year. She did tell me that Des and Melatonin act differently. From what I understood Des blocks something or another to the brain(LOL) I should have listened better---maybe a signal that something has been released, and melatonin blocks the release of something that starts with a g---having found an article I assume it is Gnrh. Anyway, she wants me to give her 1 mg of melatonin for 2 or 3 weeks and get back with her. Give 8 hours after the sun rises. Since it will be tablet form---I guess I will have to do some partial egg meals and some partial salmon oil feedings. Also I could sprinkle on some chipped up muscle meals.
However, I found this article last night.
Oral dosing regimens of 0.5 to 1 mg per ferret daily have been used. In a limited number of
published clinical studies, oral melatonin therapy resulted in consistent improvement in clinical
signs including hair regrowth, reduction in vulvar or prostatic size. Hormone studies revealed
interesting results with concentrations of estradiol, 17-hydroxyprogersterone (17-HP), and dihydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) decreasing over the first four months but then rising above pretreatment
levels by 8 – 12 months. Further, concentrations of another steroid intermediate, androstenedione
gradually increased above initial levels in every ferret at each time point throughout the one year
study and adrenal tumor growth as measured by ultrasound measurement was not affected by the
treatment. It is speculated that improvement in clinical signs is a result of decreases in serum
prolactin levels rather than suppression of adrenal steroid production.
Additionally, the report indicated that mean width of abnormally large adrenal glands was
significantly increased after the 12-month treatment period and 6 of 10 treated ferrets had
recurrence of clinical signs at the 8-month evaluation.
Based on these findings, the use of oral melatonin as the sole long-term medical therapy for ferrets
with AD cannot be recommended.
www.ferret.org/pdfs/health/2013Adrenal.pdf
Better things were said of the implant. This is a 2013 article somewhat old.
However, I found this article last night.
Oral dosing regimens of 0.5 to 1 mg per ferret daily have been used. In a limited number of
published clinical studies, oral melatonin therapy resulted in consistent improvement in clinical
signs including hair regrowth, reduction in vulvar or prostatic size. Hormone studies revealed
interesting results with concentrations of estradiol, 17-hydroxyprogersterone (17-HP), and dihydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) decreasing over the first four months but then rising above pretreatment
levels by 8 – 12 months. Further, concentrations of another steroid intermediate, androstenedione
gradually increased above initial levels in every ferret at each time point throughout the one year
study and adrenal tumor growth as measured by ultrasound measurement was not affected by the
treatment. It is speculated that improvement in clinical signs is a result of decreases in serum
prolactin levels rather than suppression of adrenal steroid production.
Additionally, the report indicated that mean width of abnormally large adrenal glands was
significantly increased after the 12-month treatment period and 6 of 10 treated ferrets had
recurrence of clinical signs at the 8-month evaluation.
Based on these findings, the use of oral melatonin as the sole long-term medical therapy for ferrets
with AD cannot be recommended.
www.ferret.org/pdfs/health/2013Adrenal.pdf
Better things were said of the implant. This is a 2013 article somewhat old.