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The Steps of Adrenal Disease In Ferrets and What To Do

By E Anthony Gove

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 30Jul2009 Word count: 561 Viewed: 860 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

A common disease in ferrets is adrenal disease, it may be common but it is also very deadly. I will explain some things about adrenal disease you need to know. The disease affects the adrenal gland and essentially stops it from working.

1) Watch For These Signs:

The loss of his or her fur is the most common and also the easiest sign to spot, so if you see some balding areas play it safe. The skin could turn red and become itchy. Keep an eye on the tail area because this is where it will typically start. Urinating might be difficult for males and overly large vulvas are common in some females but not all females. Your ferret may seem to be more lazy, tired or even indolent and unaware. Another tell tail sign is that they show more aggression, more then you normally see in your ferret.

2) Once The Signs of Adrenal Disease Are Noticed:

It is imperative you get your ferret to a veterinarian. If your ferret has never seen a veterinarian before, you should contact a few by phone first, check online or in the yellow pages. Even though ferrets are the number three pet behind cats and dogs, not all vet’s see ferrets. So call around find a veterinarian with some ferret experience and this will save time in the long run. Ferrets are not built like cats and dogs and need specialized care and understanding of their species. It may be wise to find a Vet before you need one because you want your ferret to be cared for properly.

3) Treatment of Adrenal Disease - Surgical:

There are several treatments but most will say removal or partial removal of the problem side adrenal gland is most effective. The right adrenal gland has a large vein that is very close to it so most vets would say to remove only half of the right adrenal gland. There is no such vein on the left adrenal gland so it would not be a problem. This surgery is the best route to go but is not always feasible if the ferret has digressed to far and is too indolent, unaware and weak.

4) Treatment Adrenal Disease - Nonsurgical:

The only other treatment options are treating with the use of drugs, Lysodern or Lupren. These drugs are do not come close to the effectiveness of surgery but, as a last resort due to the fragile state of your ferret you should attempt them to save your little fuss ball. There are no guarantees with any of the option but especially with the use of drugs. Serious side effects have occurred with the use of Lysodern and it dose not always work. Relatively newer is Lupren, it has less effective and still has been noted to be less effective than Lysodern. So, as you can see, either option can be harmful. It is best of course to let your veterinarian decide, as he or she will typically have more experience with the drugs.

Conclusion:

In Conclusion, although common if caught in the early stages adrenal disease in ferrets is easy for them to overcome. I think you can see It is important to catch the disease in its early stages because then the ferret will be able to undergo surgery and they will not be too worn out by the disease.

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