Liquid Melatonin Adrenal Preventative

[Deleted]

Just curious if anyone had any experience using liquid melatonin as an adrenal preventative?

Thanks

[Deleted]

i heard if you use meletonin capsules ( the powder kind that you can pop open, clear case and such) and you sprinkle it over their kibble, it will prevent adrenal:) as well as getting a lupron shot once a year. but not liquid..

[Sherry]

Unfortunately, I've not heard of liquid melatonin being used to prevent adrenal. Liquid would, however, be much easier to get into them than the powder.
Using it I don't think would hurt, since artificial light is also indicated in adrenal disease(prevents melatonin from being created in the body.
And lupron once a year is actually harmful. It spikes the hormones too much, and with our farm ferrets, you've no idea of when they are going to go into their version of a "season".
If you are going to try something like that, better to do a 3 month course. When depends not only on the sex of the ferret, but when they were born, and if they appear to have their seasons mixed up or not.
A deslorelin implant would be better if you are trying to prevent it to be honest.

[Deleted]

Any experiences to do with melatonin are appreciated! Is it true you have to give it at a specific time of day?

[Sherry]

Yes, it has to be between 7 and 9 hours following sunrise to work. That's when the body would start producing it on it's own. And that's when it works best for actual adrenal as well.
To be honest, I don't know that anyone on here has actually tried using it as a preventative.
If you were to try, you'd only have to use it in the late fall/early winter time- I think! That's when they'd normally be out of season.

[Sherry]

Just found an article by Dr. Jerry Murray on melatonin, adrenal, and it's prevention
www.smallanimalchannel.com/ferrets/ferret-health/melatonin-and-ferrets.aspx

[Heather]

I used it when I first started into ferrets as that was the flavour of the day to fight adrenal. Did it prevent it...no...did it postpone it..possibly. I would think that the method that might best serve your purpose would be the des implant. This is the present method of the day. It actually appears to be more promising. It actually shuts down the sexual function rather than just reducing the hormonal flow. The best method is to not alter at all but that isn't necessarily a plausible solution, especially for many...so the des implant does at the moment appear to be the best solution. Unfortunately, long term studies were never completed so there are many questions that are not answered, though many out of desparation, like the melatonin, are willing to try and find out just to keep this horrible disease at bay
ciao

[Deleted]

Nov 16, 2011 19:41:17 GMT -5 Sherry said:

Yes, it has to be between 7 and 9 hours following sunrise to work. That's when the body would start producing it on it's own. And that's when it works best for actual adrenal as well.

I stay up fairly late with the lights on, so would is it 7-9 hours following lights out or is it based on the actual sun setting?

I am also looking into the des implant. Would a des implant and a melatonin implant in the same ferret be possible?

[Sherry]

No- sun RISE not sunset.

[Deleted]

Ah my mistake Would any advantage come from giving them it when I can or would it need to be an everyday thing

[miamiferret2]

I tried oral melatonin daily as a preventive. Did not work. That ferret developed Adrenal at around age 3.5. I know of several people who have done the once a year late winter lupron injection. It has not worked for them. Problem is you don't know exactly when that hormone spike will occur. I discussed with my vet bc I was going to do the annual lupron instead of deslorelin. He basically told me that unless i planned on going in for monthly injections he doubted that it would be effective (FYI there is a vet who saw prevention of Adrenal with monthly lupron starting at a young age-name slips my mind atm). Going in once a month on a healthy ferret to get lupron injections is a hassle and I won't do it at home myself. My vet told me that deslorelin works / does same thing as lupron. But works longer do you don't have to go in and inject them each month.

I have opted for deslorelin /suprelorin 4.7 mg implant once a year in January. Fingers are crossed. I am jaded and I'm tired of having to put ferrets to sleep bc Adrenal is ravaging their bodies. I have had ferrets (males) that had to be put down bc of Adrenal complications (mostly urinary/prostate) and if they didn't have Adrenal they could have gone on living longer bc they were otherwise healthy ! so I'm taking my chances.

[Sherry]

If you do decide to give oral melatonin, then yes- it has to be an every day thing. And the timing is very important. Which is why I chose to have a melatonin implant for Zeus when his lupron quit working. But that has to be redone every 4-6 months.

[Heather]

Oral melatonin if given either to postpone (it doesn't prevent) or to assist another method (lupron, des) must be given 7 to 9 hours, every day after sunrise. It works for me because I'm at home during those hours, most people are at work.
One thing to note...you mentioned that you have your lights on very late. This will activate and cause your wee ones problems much sooner than if they were always under natural light. I try and make sure that my wee ones are not under arteficial light any more than possible. I have noticed an increase in early onset adrenal since I've started using the new energy saving lights as well (this is an observation it may just be coincidence). I've specifically removed them out of their room and in the basement corner where they like to hang out. I've also installed a number of sleep spaces that do not allow any light so they can choose total darkeness if they desire. Ferret's season is timed by lighting, they are very photosensitive. That is why farms can produce kits 24/7 while breeders only have kits in the spring and early summer. That is why you should try and keep your wee ones in as natural a light setting as possible.
ciao

[Deleted]

The only way I'd be able to control their photoperiods would be if I covered the cage. I'm in an apartment building so kinda limited by cage placement options. What did you construct your light free boxes from?

[Deleted]

I don't believe its a coincidence the energy savers are causing problems. There have been widespread reports of people getting rashes from them. This is because they pretty much use only the blue spectrum of light, which is by far the hardest light. Red light is the easiest to take out of all the spectrums, so I recommend that for any ferret room (and yourself, too). I'm very much against the energy saving bulbs because I know just how bad they are for us, especially when they're on when its not naturally light outside at the time (and light bulbs in general). I'm very careful with my lights because they tell your body to do things that shouldn't be done at times and screw your biochemicals up.

I've started to give my ferret liquid melatonin. Why does this form not work and is any different than the others?