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Post by fleafighter on May 12, 2009 20:55:40 GMT -5
First for the easy part! Hoggle man has been living with the other ferrets for a week with no problems! at first he went at them like before but when he caught up to them he wasnt sure why he was after them,was very funny to watch!! he was all big & bad-"gonna catch a weezel & uh... i dont remember what i was gonna do with it!!" i have encountered one problem i'll blame on his surgery tho. when he was younger he would chew & eat fabric-beds,toys,string-i had to keep everything but a sleep sack out of his cage & watch him while he was out. he had stopped that some months ago. after surgery its like he woke up & started thinking he has to chew on stuff again. now i get to watch him for eating stuff all the time  now for the implant question. i have a 5+ yr old boy, Thaddeus, who is adrenal,has been showing signs for about a year. last Oct. he was given a Ferretonin implant cause he was having trouble peeing. that worked great,he grew his hair back & has been like normal until about a week ago. im wondering if anyones used this implant? i know therere other things yallve talked about ,at the moment im not remembering what does what, for how long, or under what circumstances. if anyone feels like refreshing my memory of giving any new information on this stuff please do!! ive read that a lot of times the first implant works good but after that results arent as good. im curious if changing to a different kind would be better or if its all pretty much the same. i know there was a discussion about newer implants that were maybe more effective but not used in the U.S. yet. since im in the U.S. that wont help me. right now im looking at having the vet get in another Ferretonin implant unless theres something else that makes more sense. unfortunatly cost is an issue in the decision, im also trying to get things done in a timely fashion for Thaddeus' sake! if the odds of the Ferretonin giving satisfactory results arent good i dont want to make a decision that wont help but might interfer with some other treatment. i think thats where yall & your experince comes in! |
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Post by yukkabelle on May 12, 2009 21:43:16 GMT -5
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Post by huronna on May 13, 2009 10:09:28 GMT -5
I used the implants twice with Frick (this was a few years ago since he crossed the bridge last year at 9 1/2) The first one worked fine, but the second one had no results at all. So I went back to using Lupron www.miamiferret.org/about_lupron.htm which is what I have used on a few of my adrenal ferrets. Done monthly the cost if about $50, but using the 4 month depot shot the initial cost is about $225, but it actually lasts from 6-8 months. Probebly cheaper in the long run. You do have to watch for urinary infections because many times this can be one of the first symptoms even before the subsequent hair loss. Yukka has givne you quite a bit of reading material. Let us know what your decision is to be. |
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Post by fleafighter on May 13, 2009 13:56:36 GMT -5
thanks! when i first asked my vet about getting something for Thaddeus last year id asked about lupron as well as ferretonin. he said hed used Ferretonin with success,i dont know if hes used lupron or not. i guess ill be asking him again. he is not a ferret vet like yall apparently have. he does treat them,do surgeries & know quite a bit about them,while he may not know something off the top of his head, he does find out what he needs to know. between that & me being scatterbrained,by the time ive talked to him im forgetting some details ive learned/read about whatever issue we're dealing with. he also likes to tell me i probly know more about it than he does. im trying to get as much information as i can about this before i talk to him,i dont know what he knows about the lupron treatment. i dont know if he knows where to get the stuff, are yall familiar with where your vets get it so i can tell him something if he asks? but hopefully he knows! as for all that stuff i just read in the links - melatonin reallly isnt going to be of any help for Thaddeus now?? it would grow his hair back-not what im worried about- but the lupron would do that anyway,as well as helping with the prostate issue -which is my concern. right now the little monkey has a very nice coat,is very active & playful,hasnt shown signs of aggression or breeding behavior. ive noticed a couple days where he has gone to the litter pan a couple extra times. he is still peeing normal,its normal color & all,he doesnt seem to have any problem going yet. when do you decide that the previous treatment is ineffective and to give him something again? does it cause a problem to wait till you see symptoms returning? i used to be able to think these things through myself & not have so many questions. i think all these old critters i have are wearing out my nerves & thinker |
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Post by yukkabelle on May 13, 2009 14:51:40 GMT -5
Melatonin will definitively help in more with addition of Lupron. Perhaps I don't send the links where it was clearly stated the Melatonin isn't only a cosmetic treatment but also can help with reducing the level of certain hormones. Let me the time to reread them, to see if I miss one great link about how the melatonin can help  |
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Post by huronna on May 13, 2009 15:49:09 GMT -5
Melatonin implants are a newer treatment than Lupron and apparently a little less costly. Like all things though, they don't work on every ferret.
Also it's not necessary to have a "ferret vet" as long as your vet is willing to learn and listen, it will make him a ferret vet. The vet I use had no idea bout ferrets either. But about 12 years ago, my friend who had rescued a few went to him. She didn't know much then either and you know what my vey said.......we will learn together. And he sure has. I trust him with all my ferrets
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Post by yukkabelle on May 14, 2009 1:16:14 GMT -5
As Huronna said, saddly that can happen that a ferret doesn't respond to melatonin treatment, as lupron treatment. As if we look for my Nahum the fur is all growing back, but his prostate is still enlarged even with the medication flutamide and his 2 adrenals glands continue to grow. But I believe (I want to believe) if Nahum was not on Lupron and Melatonin liquid, his condition will be worse. Now Suprerolin/Deslorelin is cheap and is the new HOPE and seems to have great results in Europe and Austria. Here is the post I searched : ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL5827From: AFERRETVET@cs.com
Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:19:03 EDT
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re:Melatonin/Lupron
Hi Lisa,
You have some good questions about the best way to
medically treat adrenal gland disease. There have been
several melatonin studies on adrenal ferrets, including an
implant study that was just completed at Colorado Sate University.
Plus there was an oral melatonin study that was done at the
University of Wisconsin. Plus there was a melatonin implant
study by Dr James Johnson (from Texas A&M) and I.
Plus there was a melatonin implant study done by Dr Cathy
Johnson-Delaney in Seattle, Washington. Thus there is a lot
of info about melatonin, so I can answer most of your questions.
No, melatonin is not "only cosmetic." The oral melatonin study and
all 3 melatonin implant studies have shown that melatonin lowers
the adrenal hormones. In Dr Johnson-Delaney's paper she wrote,
"The melatonin implant appeared to be similarly effective as monthly
administration of Lupron." The melatonin ferret actually had slightly lower
hormone levels than the Lupron ferret. In the recently completed
melatonin implant study at Colorado State University, there was a
decrease in all 9 ferrets hormone levels, clinical resolution in all 9
ferrets, and the owners gave a very high quality of life score. Plus there
were no changes in the blood glucose level, and none of the 9 ferrets
became resistant to the melatonin implants. The oral melatonin study
also proved that melatonin can shrink an enlarged prostate. As you can
see that is much more than just a cosmetic effect.
Melatonin also lowers prolactin levels which may help prevent the
adrenal gland from becoming bigger. There are melatonin receptors
on adrenal glands that may also help prevent an adrenal gland from
becoming large. Melatonin also stimulates the bone marrow to make
red blood cells which should treat or prevent the anemia that is common
with adrenal gland disease. Thus it helps with all 3 serious complications
of adrenal gland disease (prostatic enlargement, estrogen induced anemia,
and adrenal gland enlargement).
In addition melatonin is a powerful antioxidant, free radical scavenger,
and an appetite stimulant. Again a lot more than just cosmetic effects!
With that said, Lupron is a very good medication too. Thus I would
recommend using BOTH melatonin and Lupron to get the best results
and to decrease the odds of the adrenal gland enlarging.
As for preventing adrenal gland disease, there has not been any
published study yet. Thus all we have is anecdotal suggestions.
You can certainly start a young kit on Lupron and use it monthly
throughout the kits life to prevent adrenal gland disease. However
I do not believe one injection of the monthly Lupron once a year (in
the spring) will actually prevent adrenal gland disease. If you want
to try that option, then I would suggest using the 4 month version
of Lupron instead of the monthly version. When the Suprelorin
(Deslorelin) implants become available in the US, then using them
once a year in the spring will be the way to go. The Suprelorin
implants last for a year or more.
The lifespan for an adrenal ferret depends on a lot of things.
My own ferret made it to 8.5 years old. He became adrenal at
3.5 years of age. However some ferrets develop prostate problems,
or estrogen induced anemia, or have large adrenal carcinomas and
do not live as long. Other ferrets will develop insulinoma, lymphoma,
heart disease, etc., in addition to the adrenal disease and will not live
as long. However with treatment a ferret with just adrenal disease should
have a normal life span of 6-7 years of age.
Hope that helps,
Jerry Murray, DVM
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Post by fleafighter on May 14, 2009 12:43:54 GMT -5
thanks for finding that for me!! i think me & Thaddeus will see what another Ferretonin implant does for him. i had read the info on the Ferretonin website last summer & knew it was supposed to help the enlarged prostate, but wasnt sure about it after id heard second doses werent as effective. now that i have that worked out, i have to get my 12 yr old dog to the vet. the old guy cant stand up or walk last night & today. to top it off the vet is doing 2 emergency surgeries today,so im taking Cedric in to see if they can look at him when theyre done. tried to get Cedric in at another vet i use but they dont have any appointments open today either. i wasnt making it up about the old critters making me scatterbrained-theres always somebody having some issue or another,cant have peace & quiet  |
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Post by huronna on May 14, 2009 16:23:10 GMT -5
Sorry to hear about your dog troubles also. It seems when it rains, it pours
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