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Post by jinxed-it on Dec 28, 2020 9:22:44 GMT -5
hello and happy belated holidays.
i have a question that i can’t seem to find an answer to. my oldest boy is adrenal and got the suprelorin implant on 9/19/20 and it worked wonders for a while. but now all of a sudden it seems he’s itching nonstop again and is eating less. all of the hair on his tail has grown back over the last month, but now he’s getting bald patches all over his back because he is constantly chewing/digging at it.
can the implant stop working at 3-4 months in an adrenal ferret? in addition to that, do you have any tips for a severely itchy ferret?
i have tried giving him oatmeal baths in the past but it just seems to make him angry more than anything else. his vet also suggested starting up children’s benadryl whenever i notice him scratching this bad, but he’s been on 1ml of that per day (.5 in the morning and .5 at night) for a few days and the itching hasn’t gotten better at all - maybe even worse.
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Post by abbeytheferret6 on Dec 28, 2020 15:39:38 GMT -5
My girl passed away last year of adrenal disease--from what i understand the tumor invaded the vena cava. Tumor was filled with blood from what I could understand. I had someone that does necropsies on animals for the state instead of my vet. I had Phoebe on superloin for just a year and her hair did grow back and she did not lose it, but she did pass away about a year later. Evidently her adrenal disease was advanced. So there does come a time when things will not work. Superloin does not heal them from what i understand but may shrink tumors. Sometimes you know tumors can be aggressive. maybe someone can give you some more information. The black dots is from oil clogging up her pores
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Post by unclejoe on Dec 29, 2020 14:34:09 GMT -5
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Post by okojosan on Dec 30, 2020 18:31:44 GMT -5
I hate to mention this, but my male ferret Claudius developed terrible itching symptoms when his lymphoma progressed to a certain point (it was in his brain.) He was very sweet and never bit us, but he would scratch and bite himself furiously.
Otherwise, could your ferret have developed a food allergy? An allergy to detergent, whatever you use to wash his bedding/cage?
As unclejoe said, you could try the melatonin too.
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Post by jinxed-it on Jan 26, 2021 14:38:08 GMT -5
sorry for the late responses, guys. he was only diagnosed at the tail end of last year (2020) - maybe august/september. he is just over a year and a half old now. ultrasounds showed no abnormal growths, and two different vets felt as if we’d caught it early enough for him to live a long and healthy life with proper treatment.
the itching has improved, and he’s incredibly fluffy again. he still itches quite a bit more than my other ferret, but from what i’ve read it seems like the implant is great for everything. except itching. i have asked about melatonin with his normal vet about ten different times now, and for some reason, they’re really pushing back on it. the last time i asked, they said something along the lines of not seeing any recent research on melatonin and the implant.
but we have a vet appointment on 2/6 for a check up and flea preventatives, so i’ll address it again then.
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Post by unclejoe on Jan 27, 2021 21:35:19 GMT -5
geez 1 1/2 seems awfully young for adrenal to manifest signs esp with no US indications. itching by itself could indicate an allergy. some ferrets are sensitive to certain foods, esp chicken, possibly turkey or beef. the benadryl might cover that. What's he eating? constant exposure to an ingested allergen makes the benadryl useless... Again, melatonin will treat clinical signs, but not do anything for adrenal. I am not a vet but I would stop the benadryl for a couple days. there are no diagnostic tests you mentioned to even suggest adrenal. even the US didn't indicate it it. at that age i wouldn't dx based on just itching. the des implant can "ward off" adrenal disease, and in any case it won't do any harm. Next, if possible, try to eliminate different things from the diet to see if there is an allergy. If you could post here what he eats, we can help.
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Post by jinxed-it on Jan 29, 2021 22:02:37 GMT -5
my apologies - i should have mentioned that he does have an official diagnosis. he had the (incredibly expensive) blood panel done, and two out of three of the indicator levels (i can’t remember which ones) were incredibly elevated. two vets confirmed on the results from that.
he is on a mix of two different kibbles, unfortunately, since he won’t even touch anything raw (other than egg yolk). he has been off of the benadryl for some weeks now and is actually doing much better like i mentioned in my previous post. still more itchy than what i’d call normal, but not to the point of ripping his fur out until he has bald patches anymore.
his kibble is about a 1 to 3 mix - 1 part young again zero to 3 parts zupreem grain free (no peas either). he also gets one raw egg yolk that he shares with my youngest ferret about once a week. other than that, as far as treats go, they’re very limited to salmon oil and freeze dried liver bits. i have tried and tried to get him interested in raw things, but he’s about as stubborn as they come. my vet also is very against raw diets (i think i mentioned that in a previous post somewhere and their reasoning for it).
after what we went through around august/september, i consider him eating anything as a blessing, though. he refused to eat on his own for a long, long time until we got the implant. i had to hand feed him every few hours, and even then he’d mostly refuse it. he was skin and bones for a while, but now he’s a little fluffy chonker again.
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Post by unclejoe on Jan 31, 2021 19:51:05 GMT -5
I see Zupreem took peas out of the grain free and I applaud them for listening to ferrent input, but I would look into sweet potatoes and oxalates. I will do that myself. I seem to remember sweet potatoes and chick peas being on the oxalate list. From kidney.org (Nat'l Kidney Foundation) "Some examples of foods that contain high levels of oxalate include: peanuts, rhubarb, spinach, beets, chocolate and sweet potatoes."
I have had limited success with raw feeding myself, and about all I can get these 2 to eat is grinds mixed with ground kibble. I believe vets get kickbacks for promoting certain pet foods. The all seem to have science diet in their facilities. Some seem to be more concerned that the pet owner may get sick from handling raw meat than the pet getting natural nutrition. And of course store bought pet foods are "balanced" nutrition," whether those added nutrients are in easily absorbed form or not. The "Tennessee Panel" is an expensive test, and a lot of ferrents don't consider it to be diagnostic on its own as the endocrine system is so complex and hormone levels can vary from hour to hour. But with levels way off and clinical signs, it can be an indicator. Most of us spare the expense and go by signs. Experienced ferret vets can usually be cajoled into treating for adrenal based on signs only if they suggest the panel. They make 100% markup on the implant in any case. I have had a lot of ferts and done my own research and have never had the panel done. I'd like it if you became a member. You have some experience that would help others. That's what this forum is about. There are no obligations. I'd approve your member request
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Post by Jinxed It on Feb 6, 2021 8:59:04 GMT -5
i have excellent news. the vet FINALLY prescribed melatonin for my boy. he is supposed to get 0.5mg/day, but they didn’t really give me much more information than that. is there a specific brand you use for your babies or a specific way/time you administer that you could recommend to me? any and all advice, as always, is greatly appreciated.
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Post by Sherry Stone on Feb 6, 2021 9:18:09 GMT -5
Your vet won't do the melatonin implant alongside the deslorelin? If not, then oral melatonin really needs to be given 7-9hrs after sunrise daily.
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Post by Jinxed It on Feb 6, 2021 9:47:29 GMT -5
they have pushed back on me with the melatonin since september when i first asked about the implant. but i’ll do whatever i need to do for him to get some relief.
i saw on amazon some melatonin drops that a reviewer said he gave to his adrenal ferret in his water bottle. mine drink from a bowl, but i was wondering if that might be an option?
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Post by unclejoe on Feb 11, 2021 14:00:43 GMT -5
they have pushed back on me with the melatonin since september when i first asked about the implant. but i’ll do whatever i need to do for him to get some relief. i saw on amazon some melatonin drops that a reviewer said he gave to his adrenal ferret in his water bottle. mine drink from a bowl, but i was wondering if that might be an option? It wouldn't do any harm, but it would be impossible to know how much he's getting. Also, melatonin is most effective when given as Sherry mentioned, if possible. 0.5 mg seems like a low dose. We were getting 5 mg tablets at dollar general, and giving half a tab per day for the first month, then 1.5 mg/day. If you can get implants, they last about a month. You can get liquid oral melatonin as well. Melatonin is easier to give because it doesn't have medicine taste
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Post by Sherry Stone on Feb 12, 2021 17:34:04 GMT -5
I redo the des implant every six months to help prevent breakthrough symptoms. By the time symptoms show up, the disease has been active again for a while. However, if it IS just itching, he could also be going through his seasonal shed. Many are right now, and they become extra itchy as the new coat grows in.
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Post by unclejoe on Feb 13, 2021 22:24:16 GMT -5
yes, Dr Wagner et al studies have suggested 6-8 months for treatment. Sad that 1 implant costs more than the ferret...
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Post by Jinxed It on Feb 19, 2021 11:00:25 GMT -5
he got the implant on 9/19/20, so his six month mark would be 3/19/21. i will ask the vet about it and explain my concerns, but this particular vet has a way of dismissing whatever i say. he will most likely insist on waiting for the return of all clinical symptoms before another implant - but i agree that 6 months for active adrenal seems like a safer bet. if the implant he has now hasn’t “ran out” by the time he gets a new one, and they are both secreting hormones, would that cause a worsening of symptoms as well (if it can throw off the negative feedback loop)?
also, i just wanted to ask before i buy - but the brand Source Naturals on Amazon sells 1mg tablets of melatonin. the supplement facts on the back says calcium (as dibasic calcium phosphate) is 30mg (2%) and melatonin is 1mg (daily value not established). the other ingredients are dibasic calcium phosphate, micro-crystalline cellulose, stearic acid, magnesium stearate, and silica. does this sound like an okay brand, or are any of those ingredients harmful to ferrets?
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