How to Treat Adrenal Disease in Ferrets
Determine if surgery is the right treatment option., Discuss surgical challenges., Have your vet remove the affected adrenal gland., Monitor your ferret’s recovery.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Determine if surgery is the right treatment option.
For many ferrets, surgical removal of the affected adrenal (‘adrenalectomy’) is the most effective way to treat adrenal disease.
If your ferret has adrenal disease, your vet will consider several factors to determine if surgery is a good idea.
These factors include your ferret’s age, presence of other diseases, and the severity of clinical signs.If both of your ferret’s adrenals are affected, surgery is not a good idea.
Removing both adrenals would lead to significant hormone deficiencies.
Your ferret would then need lifelong hormone supplements, which may not be financially feasible.If surgery is not an option for your ferret, your vet will recommend medications to treat the symptoms of adrenal disease. -
Step 2: Discuss surgical challenges.
The location of each adrenal can make surgery either easy or difficult.
Surgical removal of the left adrenal is straightforward.
Removing the right adrenal is challenging, though, because it’s attached to the vena cava.
The vena cava is the major vein carrying blood back to the heart from the lower half of the body.Removing the right adrenal requires removing the part of the vena cava where the adrenal is attached, making the surgery very challenging.If your vet does not have a lot of surgical experience with removing ferret adrenals, they will likely refer you to a veterinary surgeon with more experience.
Partial removal of the right adrenal gland is not a reasonable treatment option, since it would only slow down the progression of adrenal disease, not cure it., If your ferret is a good surgical candidate, your vet will proceed with anesthetizing your ferret and performing an adrenalectomy.
Because ferrets can become cold during surgery, your vet will use heating pads or specialized hot water bottles to keep your ferret warm during surgery.You will probably be able to take your ferret home the day of surgery. , Hair loss is the telltale sign of adrenal disease in ferrets.
After an adrenalectomy, a ferret’s recovery will involve hair regrowth.
The hair will usually start growing back in about 1 to 2 months and will be fully regrown after about 6 months.The hair might start growing back as soon as 2 weeks after surgery.Sometimes, after an adrenalectomy, the remaining adrenal develops a tumor, causing a disease recurrence.Watch your ferret for signs (e.g., hair loss, difficulty urinating, swollen vulva) that adrenal disease has returned.
The vulva is the external portion of a female’s genitalia.
Disease relapse occurs in about 40% of ferrets after an adrenalectomy. -
Step 3: Have your vet remove the affected adrenal gland.
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Step 4: Monitor your ferret’s recovery.
Detailed Guide
For many ferrets, surgical removal of the affected adrenal (‘adrenalectomy’) is the most effective way to treat adrenal disease.
If your ferret has adrenal disease, your vet will consider several factors to determine if surgery is a good idea.
These factors include your ferret’s age, presence of other diseases, and the severity of clinical signs.If both of your ferret’s adrenals are affected, surgery is not a good idea.
Removing both adrenals would lead to significant hormone deficiencies.
Your ferret would then need lifelong hormone supplements, which may not be financially feasible.If surgery is not an option for your ferret, your vet will recommend medications to treat the symptoms of adrenal disease.
The location of each adrenal can make surgery either easy or difficult.
Surgical removal of the left adrenal is straightforward.
Removing the right adrenal is challenging, though, because it’s attached to the vena cava.
The vena cava is the major vein carrying blood back to the heart from the lower half of the body.Removing the right adrenal requires removing the part of the vena cava where the adrenal is attached, making the surgery very challenging.If your vet does not have a lot of surgical experience with removing ferret adrenals, they will likely refer you to a veterinary surgeon with more experience.
Partial removal of the right adrenal gland is not a reasonable treatment option, since it would only slow down the progression of adrenal disease, not cure it., If your ferret is a good surgical candidate, your vet will proceed with anesthetizing your ferret and performing an adrenalectomy.
Because ferrets can become cold during surgery, your vet will use heating pads or specialized hot water bottles to keep your ferret warm during surgery.You will probably be able to take your ferret home the day of surgery. , Hair loss is the telltale sign of adrenal disease in ferrets.
After an adrenalectomy, a ferret’s recovery will involve hair regrowth.
The hair will usually start growing back in about 1 to 2 months and will be fully regrown after about 6 months.The hair might start growing back as soon as 2 weeks after surgery.Sometimes, after an adrenalectomy, the remaining adrenal develops a tumor, causing a disease recurrence.Watch your ferret for signs (e.g., hair loss, difficulty urinating, swollen vulva) that adrenal disease has returned.
The vulva is the external portion of a female’s genitalia.
Disease relapse occurs in about 40% of ferrets after an adrenalectomy.
About the Author
Donna Jordan
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