Deslorelin Experiences?

[Deleted]

Hey there, since this Deslorelin is such an up-and-coming treatment, I thought maybe we could all share our experiences with it, briefly. I know alot of us have already posted some threads about it, but maybe we could collectively put our "readers digest" versions here. It would be a nice reference to use for those interested in it, and to compare notes. Some things we could include:

1) How did you hear about Deslorelin
2) What was your vet's take on it
3) How many ferrets you have tried it on
4) What results you saw, and how long it took for them to show up
5) Any treatments you have supported the Des with
6) Have you had a ferret in which it did NOT work, and if so how did you proceed?
7) Any side effects you may have noticed

ETA NEW, great idea, thanks Fearless!:
8) Cost you paid for implant, include any fees that had to go with it.

And of course add anything you think is important, my list is just a suggestion.

I'll start:

1) Can't remember exactly where I heard about the Deslorelin, but I think it was here. I wasn't even looking for adrenal treatment info, but insulinoma.
2) My vet didn't know anything about it... neither did some of the 50+ clinics I called besides the two in my state that were out of stock. The Dr that administered it for them wasn't convinced it would or could shrink tumors, or that this was the treatment-to-end-all-treatments for adrenal disease. To my surprise, he still recommended surgery.
3) I put it in two ferrets, both at unknown stages of the disease. Looking back, I'd say Mimosa is far advanced. She showed very slight telltale signs for 2.5 years that I didn't pick up on until now with hindsight. The other ferret, Mabel, is a rescue, no idea how progressed hers is.
4) Mabel's vulva became visibly less swollen two weeks after, with total body hair regrowth starting three weeks after implantation. Behavior is slow changing and hard to recognize; she did NOT want to be held before the implant, now she does. Mimosa on the other hand is showing patchy growth of hair only on her head, no change in aggressive behavior, and still itching constantly even at 4.5 weeks. Keeping our eyes out on her.
5) Not supporting the des; our Dr said that it was the most direct treatment for the disease and that if it did not work, a less direct treatment (such as melatonin) had even less chance of working. He also said that it works the same as lupron, so if des didn't
6) As far as it NOT working, ....I'm holding out for Mimosa. She might just have more hormones to overcome. Results are only going to be evident after 3 months.
7) Side effects? None noted. It's hard to say with their insulinoma being a factor, as well.

New:
8) Cost for implant was $145, office visit cost required too. No sedation or pain meds were given, and the sealing glue on the wound was free.

Thanks in advance for reading and for adding yours! I'm hoping this will be a helpful learning tool.

[tayrawrrr]

Thank you so much for posting this! I'm really debating Des for my two guys and this will help a lot!

[fearless]

Agreed, thank you. I would love to gather all the information people have on this, could we include a cost category to get a ball park estimate? I know most will vary vastly depending on location, but would be nice to see some figures.

[goingpostal]

1) How did you hear about Deslorelin

On the ferret forums

2) What was your vet's take on it

She recommended it, we had Pip and Craven on Lupron originally, was completely ineffective on Craven and stopped working on Pip after a year. My vet had gone to a conference where they had discussed it and thought it was the best route available at the moment.

3) How many ferrets you have tried it on
Just one so far, Craven (Pip had an adrenalectomy and will likely get one down the line as well when symptoms return)

4) What results you saw, and how long it took for them to show up

After about two weeks the aggression started going away, by week 3 he was completely back to being well behaved, now it's been 4+ weeks and his hair is regrowing as well

5) Any treatments you have supported the Des with

No, implant only

6) Have you had a ferret in which it did NOT work, and if so how did you proceed?

no, n/a

7) Any side effects you may have noticed

More energy? Seems like he's a bit more hyper than normal but may just be feeling better too

Otherwise, I paid $125 for the implant and my vet has them in stock.

[Heather]

1) How did you hear about Deslorelin
Ferrethealth list and some research articles on line

2) What was your vet's take on it
I had to present proof. Very sceptical but only because of the similar type that is used on race horses and in show dogs.

3) How many ferrets you have tried it on
I presently have 4 fuzzes
1. Lady "B" Itchy
2. Yuri
3. Captain Jack
4. Sprite
5. Pooka (DIP)

4) What results you saw, and how long it took for them to show up
Pooka was already on lupron, it was no longer working. Did the Des buy her more time...I don't know. She was approx 10 yrs old. The horrible symptoms of her adrenal was patchy hair loss and ulcers. In the end she bled out from a perforated ulcer caused by a cancerous lession. She did have a gorgeous coat though. The coat came in about 3 weeks after treatment. She never did get any relief from the ulcers. It is stated that treatments will only work on benign tumours. If the treatments (either lupron or des implant) will not work against malignant tumours.
Lady "B" has responded reasonably well. It took almost 5 months for the response but she carries the acrid odour of a cancerous ferret. She has put on coat but it's not a nice full coat like the others. She is happier but the activity level is still down and she's depressed
Yuri is just starting to respond to the implant. It's been over a month. He too is having issues with ulcers but whether these are adrenal related or in result of the loss of a cagemate I don't know. He's just starting to eat on his own (I don't know if this is in result of the implant or the introduction of Minion as a companion). His coat is thicker and he's more active (again this may actually be a resolution for his depression)
Captain Jack has gained the most. He was loosing coat and sexually aggressive. The aggression ended within a couple of weeks of the implant. For him the improvements were very noticeable. He's carrying a beautiful coat. He's happy and active. He has a return of muscle tone. He looks and acts much younger.
Sprite had huge initial gains. The swollen vulva reduced in size about 2 weeks in. She's always carried a nice coat, now she's got a gorgeous coat. Initially, her activity levels increased and she was doing very well. She had now developed IBD type symptoms and is being treated for this. These are probably the digestive issues that seem to accompany advanced adrenal

5) Any treatments you have supported the Des with
liquid melatonin

6) Have you had a ferret in which it did NOT work, and if so how did you proceed?
I've been finding that some of the symptoms (hair loss, sexual aggression) appeared to be addressed but some of the others like stress ulcers and IBD symptoms must be treated on top of the des implant. It appears that if the di-sease being treated is not malignant tumours is appears to work well. As is the case with lupron, des does not work on malignancies and lymphomas
ciao

7) Any side effects you may have noticed

[Deleted]

Thanks for this!

[weezz]

1) How did you hear about Deslorelin
FML, FHL, and lots of research online

2) What was your vet's take on it
Our normal vet said it was not worth her time
Found another ferret vet that already had them in stock and just started using them

3) How many ferrets you have tried it on
Two so far - Mr Man (4-yr-old Albino) and Crichton (5-yr-old sable)
Two more will be getting theirs within the next month

4) What results you saw, and how long it took for them to show up
It's still early, but here's my take:
Mr Man - noticed within 12 days his energy level has gone way up. He has always been a "rough player" since a kit, so nothing noticeable as far as aggression goes.
Crichton - noticed after a couple weeks he seems less "eager" to mark everything. He has had major issues with aggression, so he is a "loner" for now.

5) Any treatments you have supported the Des with
They both have been/still are on a dose of oral melatonin.

6) Have you had a ferret in which it did NOT work, and if so how did you proceed?
n/a atm

7) Any side effects you may have noticed
haven't noticed anything negative

8) Cost you paid for implant, include any fees that had to go with it.
$150 for everything (office visit, implant, anesthesia, glue)

I have taken before photos and videos and am keeping notes. These will be put on my website once it gets up and going.

[miamiferret2]

1) How did you hear about Deslorelin
I think Ferrets online magazine

2) What was your vet's take on it
He researched it and he was all for it.

3) How many ferrets you have tried it on
Two: 8 year old Lemmy (lupron was no longer working on him)
and 10 month old Sonny ( as a preventive measure implant given at 5 months of age)
4) What results you saw, and how long it took for them to show up
Lemmy: seemed to be working better than lupron he was regrowing hair but we had to put him to sleep bc he was suffering too much with multiple health issues.

Sonny: implanted at 5 months to prevent. No side effects, etc.

5) Any treatments you have supported the Des with
Melatonin implant on Lemmy

6) Have you had a ferret in which it did NOT work, and if so how did you proceed?
n/a

7) Any side effects you may have noticed
haven't noticed anything negative

8) Cost you paid for implant, include any fees that had to go with it.
$80 to $90

UPDATE: AUGUST 29, 2021: still using the deslorelin for prevention of adrenal tumors. So far so good!
My previous vet was very reasonable with prices, but he moved away. Since these old posts, Virbac now makes the implant for use in Ferrets. I now pay approx $200 for the implant

[Deleted]

I have been super busy and haven't posted in a while, but I do still check this place out every morning before work!
I wanted to update on Mimosa, since in my first post she wasn't doing well.

It's been 4 months since her implant was given. She at first had patchy hair coming back in, which soon fell/tore out with constant itching. No behavior changes were noticed for the first two months. She continued to lose weight, sleep constantly, kept her eyes at a permanent squint, tremored all the time, and we were very serious about euthanizing her when she made a sudden change.

At month three, (July) she suddenly stopped attacking the other ferrets and going to the bathroom in weird spots. Lots of patches of hair started coming back. She is much, much sweeter to the other ferrets and I even see her rough and tumble with them on occasion. Her eyes are open and alert, and she shakes sometimes but not always. She still has to be very much "babied" (I even have to file her nails for her so she doesn't tear her skin apart) but overall we are finally seeing improvement. As it is, such slow and spotty improvement is probably an indicator of malignant tumors, but she is not a good candidate for surgery. Insulinoma really complicates things :\ Anyhow, just wanted to update since I know alot of members have adrenal babies.

[Sherry]

Thanks for the update oskimosa! I'm glad you are finally seeing SOME improvement- could wish it were more for you. Did you ever have her on lupron, by the way? If so, how did she react to that.
Some take well to a medication, others don't for whatever reason. If her reaction isn't so great with the des, maybe you'd be further ahead with lupron if you haven't already tried it?

[kd]

1) How did you hear about Deslorelin
Heard about it today, 01/27/2011 from my vet!

2) What was your vet's take on it?
Basically that it's a life saving invention, and it's going to help so many ferrets in prevention and treatment.

3) How many ferrets you have tried it on
Just got Munster done today, and my vet has done about 60.

4-5
N/A yet...

6 *UPDATE 02/27*
It has been one month today since Munster got his Deslorelin implant, so far no signs of progress. I called my vet who said to bring him in in 2 weeks if that was still the case - she said sometimes the implants just don't work. Not sure if I can afford surgery, I don't know what to do.

7[/]
N/A yet...

8) Cost you paid for implant, include any fees that had to go with it.
$182.50 for everything, which comes out to about $10 a month. **Lupron shots at my vet are about $70 a month, every month, and surgery is about $700.

[Heather]

Aug 12, 2011 5:20:02 GMT -5 @oskimosa said:

I have been super busy and haven't posted in a while, but I do still check this place out every morning before work!
I wanted to update on Mimosa, since in my first post she wasn't doing well.

It's been 4 months since her implant was given. She at first had patchy hair coming back in, which soon fell/tore out with constant itching. No behavior changes were noticed for the first two months. She continued to lose weight, sleep constantly, kept her eyes at a permanent squint, tremored all the time, and we were very serious about euthanizing her when she made a sudden change.

At month three, (July) she suddenly stopped attacking the other ferrets and going to the bathroom in weird spots. Lots of patches of hair started coming back. She is much, much sweeter to the other ferrets and I even see her rough and tumble with them on occasion. Her eyes are open and alert, and she shakes sometimes but not always. She still has to be very much "babied" (I even have to file her nails for her so she doesn't tear her skin apart) but overall we are finally seeing improvement. As it is, such slow and spotty improvement is probably an indicator of malignant tumors, but she is not a good candidate for surgery. Insulinoma really complicates things :\ Anyhow, just wanted to update since I know alot of members have adrenal babies.

I will also update my Lady "B" who was also very slow on the uptake with the dose. She's now coming up on her third implant and is a new ferret. I, too, like you figured that malignancy was indeed a good possibility. About half way or more through the first implant she started to pick up and never looked back. She was a new ferret. I had her in to the vet on a totally unrelated episode (ear infection). The vet of course had a close look at her as she is one of my later stage adrenal fuzzes. Her spleen is a now a normal size and she can no longer feel the swollen adrenal glands....we can only hope ;D
ciao

[Deleted]

1) How did you hear about Deslorelin
My local rescue/ lots of online research.

2) What was your vet's take on it
My vets not 100% convinced but more then happy to implant my boys.

3) How many ferrets you have tried it on
Echo at 6 months
Hunter at 13 months

4) What results you saw, and how long it took for them to show up
Echo showed no signs of being in season after 2 weeks. Hunter was implanted 3 weeks ago, he now has a full coat and re growing fur on his tail, his aggregation behaviour has stopped.

5) Any treatments you have supported the Des with
No, I only use it as a form of chemical castration.

6) Have you had a ferret in which it did NOT work, and if so how did you proceed?
No.

7) Any side effects you may have noticed
Nope, Hunter has been moody since by I don't think he appreciated the whole ordeal.

8) Cost you paid for implant, include any fees that had to go with it.
Echo, 4.6mg implant ($110 + sedation $80)
Hunter, 9.4mg implant ($140 + sedation $80)

[Sherry]

Navcot- did your vet give you a reason for the difference in the strength of the des?

[Deleted]

No, the high strength implant has a long duration. I "shouldn't" have to implant him for another 5-6 years where as Echo will need another implant in the next 12-16 months. I haven't noticed any side effects in the higher dose implant.