|
|
Post by bigsis7 on Jul 2, 2008 16:40:32 GMT -5
Chewie is home!! He was in great conditionS. Very clean cage, good, food, spacious cage, and good bedding. His owners loved him, but the 15 year old got bored of him. Chewie if he had all his fur is a champange or cinnamon coloring. Yep, he has adrenal. I am so mad!! I asked I'm like "I notice he has some bald spots. What's that from?" She said ho it's from the way he sleeps! The area around his pelvis bones is swollen, he has brown warts on his nose, and is balding on his tail, neck, and back. He's very social and loves to give kisses!! I do have a few questions about adrenal.
How do I make him more comfortable?
How much does the suregery usually cost?
What are the options?
Is it contagious to other ferrets?
Anything else?
There is a vet in Woodbridge, Va that will do the surgery for less than $300 which I have, so keep your fingers crossed!!
|
|
|
|
Post by buzzonesbirdie on Jul 2, 2008 17:03:37 GMT -5
OK i have an adrenal female.
How do I make him more comfortable? make sure that you get him to a vet a soon a possible. even if you can not pay for the operation right away there are other things they can do to make him feel better.
How much does the suregery usually cost? this really depends on where you are and on the vets there
What are the options? surgery is the best one, but there are others, my ferret was not a canadiate for surgery so she gets Lupron shots every other month right now( they are $150 for us -prices vary)
Is it contagious to other ferrets? it is NOT contagious so let the two babies play together once you get a clean bill of health other then the adrenal for the little one.
Anything else? do as much reading as you can about adrenal ferrets and ask people what they have noticed with theirs. Freedom gets a bit aggressive when the shot starts to wear off but other then that we do not notice a difference with her.
I am sorry that you found yourself with a ferret that is sick but i have a feeling that it is a good thing that this ferret found its way to you.
|
|
|
|
Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 2, 2008 17:47:48 GMT -5
How do I make him more comfortable? Everything that Jas said PLUS get him onto a natural diet asap. De is adrenal and I have seen her quality of life skyrocket since getting on a better food. It doesnt "cure" the adrenal, but it does make her healthier, which is certainly good. How much does the suregery usually cost? $250-1000. Depends on where you live too. Sounds like you have a good price. Less then $300 IS a good deal, BUT ask how many adrenal surgeries this vet has performed. What is their experience with ferrets? Adrenal surgery should go fine, but they SHOULD do bloodwork first to make sure Chewie is a good surgical canidate. You also want a good ferret vet. There is nothing worse then losing a baby on the operating table. Not only do you lose your little one, but you also still have to pay the bill. Talk about a kick to the gut! What are the options? Surgery, Lupron, and Melatonin. Is it contagious to other ferrets? Absolutely not. Anything else? It can be rough having an adrenal ferret. Even with surgery, the disease can return. Be aware of that possibility. Read up on adrenal disease here: www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
|
|
|
|
Post by buzzonesbirdie on Jul 2, 2008 18:17:01 GMT -5
*hangs head in shame* I cannot believe that i forgot to mention getting him on a raw diet  i am so sorry |
|
|
|
Post by bigsis7 on Jul 2, 2008 21:32:59 GMT -5
Alright I'll start on the switch. I have also notcied his fur feels coarse and oily. IS this because he's probably never had a bath or is it from adrenal? His nails from what i know havent been cut for a few monthes, so I'll have to do that. How soon should he have the surgery? I don't want to totally stress him out for a while.
|
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Jul 2, 2008 22:10:52 GMT -5
Hi
Adrenal surgery can be successful. My Loki is a perfect example. He had the surgery about 4 yrs ago. Randi has access to some fantastic ferret vets. Please, make sure that your vet knows what he/she is doing. Price though a factor shouldn't be why you decide to go with a certain vet. I have lost ferrets to surgeries. Pandora past away under the knife of a vet who claimed she knew what she was doing. Pandy never woke up. Not only did I loose my little darling, I had to pay a $1800 surgery bill, this didn't include another $300 worth of blood work and tests. I now have a tendency to lean toward holistic methods of treatment. I don't advocate one way or another, but for myself and my peace of mind this is where I've been leaning. Oh, by the way, when you add up the costs of the lupron (really expensive) and the melatonin (fairly cheap) the surgery is indeed the cheaper method of dealing with nasty disease. A natural diet will indeed help. You've been getting good advice.
Good luck
Ciao
|
|
|
|
Post by bigsis7 on Jul 3, 2008 8:40:13 GMT -5
Ok. Thank you guys!!! I have another question too is it common for ferrets to have other dieseases with adrenal disease?
|
|
|
|
Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 3, 2008 8:52:57 GMT -5
Unfourtunately yes. Insulinoma is the other major disease out there. This is what we natural feeders are hoping to avoid by feeding raw foods and whole prey. Insulinoma is belived to be triggered by excessive carbohydrates in a ferret's diet. Kibble ALWAYS contains carbs (no matter what brand, they are necessary to hold the kibble pieces together) natural diets contain NO carbohydrates  Here is some info on insulinoma: exoticpets.about.com/cs/ferrets/a/ferrinsulinoma.htmdrexotic.com/care_ferrets_insulinoma.htmOther common ferret diseases include: cardiomyopathy, lymphoma, and ADV. |
|
|
|
Post by aleronferrets on Jul 3, 2008 8:57:16 GMT -5
What are the options? surgery is the best one, but there are others, my ferret was not a canadiate for surgery so she gets Lupron shots every other month right now( they are $150 for us -prices vary) I feel that adrenal surgery is actually a rather outdated treatment for the disease. The adrenal glands are actually not the source of the problem in adrenal disease. It is the pituitary gland that is the problem and removing the adrenal glands doesn't change that. I know that isn't a popular opinion with most ferret forums/lists. "Studies with lupron 30 day depot formulation, 100 mcg for females, 200 mcg for males have proved that 1. its effects last 30 days in intact ferrets in season (highest hormone levels and cycle to control - it controlled it very well - melatonin didn't); It is superior to decreasing hormone levels in ferrets with adrenal disease to pre-adrenal, very low levels until the tumor is beyond pituitary control; It slows the progression and growth of the adrenal tumor at least in early stages, and in some this translates as years; ferrets in a controlled study of lupron vs unilateral adrenalectomy: lupron alone was superior to unilateral or partial adrenalectomy as uni/partial adrenalectomy triggers a rebound of hormones higher than originally; lupron plus adrenalectomy led to slightly longer lives in the males; females receiving lupron alone lived longer than females having surgery. All ferrets who receive adrenalectomy need to concurrently have hormonal suppression to live the longest, the difference in surgical outcome was in the males since the prostate enlargement frequently is the life-limiting factor in males, not the size of the adrenal tumor itself." Cathy Johnson-Delaney, DVM, DABVP-Avian President, Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians Several options are being explored by vets for non-surgical adrenal treatment. I have three adrenals who are doing good with non-surgical treatment. Ophelia looks great (thick full coat, good weight, happy) and has had adrenal disease for nearly two years. She had symptoms starting at a bit over a year old. I looked into surgery for her but have never had a good feeling about it. When I found out the cost for the surgery could go over $1000, I started calling other vets. Happened to get hooked up with a vet researching nonsurgical treatments and Ophelia was one of the first ferrets to receive the adrenal vaccine. Morgan receieved it aboout a year later and Foster shortly after her. How long has Chewie had hairloss - did you ask or can you? It would be good to know how advanced he is. FWIW it seems most people have no idea why their ferret is balding, so his owners probably had no clue. I have contacted countless people advertising ferrets on CL and have been surprised at the number of people who have adrenals who think it is either from age or hair being rubbed off on something (and see nothing odd about asking $100+ for their treatment needing ferret). |
|
|
|
Post by josiesmom on Jul 3, 2008 9:23:49 GMT -5
Another thing people will say about their balding adrenal ferret is that "The ferret has allergies". While I'm sure there are some ferrets that have allergies, typically hair loss from an allergy would be accompanied by a very itchy ferret, with obviously irritated skin from the scratching. Adrenal hair loss doesn't seem to bother the ferrets, except you have to watch their exposure & surrounding temp- they'll lose thermal regulation when they lose their hair.
Good luck with him!
Cheers,
Kim
Cheers,
Kim
|
|
|
|
Post by bigsis7 on Jul 3, 2008 10:35:42 GMT -5
Well his skin seems pretty irritated. It has red dots all over it. He also seems to breath hard off and on. I'm not sure what that's from though.
|
|
|
|
Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 3, 2008 10:42:57 GMT -5
Skin irritation is common with adrenal. The coughing could be from him ingesting extra hair due to the adrenal shedding.
Getting on a natural diet will help to prevent hairballs. Until then you might want to offer him some (unscented) petrolium jelly (to prevent hairballs). Im NOT a fan of petrolium, BUT since he's not on natural yet he has a higher risk of getting hairballs and it might be smart to take preventative measures.
I've said it before, getting him onto a natural diet will really make a big difference in his overall health.
|
|
|
|
Post by bigsis7 on Jul 3, 2008 10:52:37 GMT -5
OK. I'll start switiching him today. Jaycee gave me some tips on the soup method.
|
|
|
|
Post by Forum Administrator on Jul 3, 2008 11:06:45 GMT -5
Start a thread in the "Natural Diet Newbies Section" (like you did for Oliver). where you can update us on your baby's progress.
BTW- Have you picked a new name yet?
|
|
|
|
Post by meli on Jul 3, 2008 12:53:04 GMT -5
Awe poor guy. Sorry to hear. Good Luck with his treatments! We're here to help!  |
|
