# Ferret spaying? Implant?



## GingerSnapzBack (Oct 21, 2010)

Hey again people.

I emailed a vet asking about ferret spaying and costs and received the following:

It is not recommended to spay ferrets now as it causes cancer of the adrenal glands. There is an implant which is used to control reproduction and the increases odour associated with being reproductively active. Descenting is removal of some scent glands near the anus. It does not affect the small of ferrets at all but is just a marketing ploy in the USA by 2 large ferret farms. The scent glands do produce a smelly substance but are only emptied after passing stools or if the ferret is very frightened. It is not a surgery that is done in this country and carried a risk of faecal incontinence. You are welcome to ring for further information.

Does anyone know what implant this is and what it does?



Thanks,

GSB.


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## wolfmagicrattery (Mar 16, 2009)

i got the same when i spoke to my vets am going in on firday to dissuce more about the implant in deatail my vet has told me it cost around 60 pounds to get this done


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## miss_ferret (Feb 4, 2010)

according to my vet the risk of cancer after spaying is very small (personally iv never heard of it happening, but this is personal experience), and nothing compared to the consequences of leaving jills in season.

personally im reserving judgement on the implant as i dont think its been around long enough for any long term implications to become apparent. no problem with people trying it, but it seems a lot of money to me when you could get a jill spayed or have yearly jill jabs for less. suppose it would be handy if you want to breed in the future (ie delaying it for a few years), but then is it known what effect the implant would have on a ferrets breeding cycle?

ETA: basicly the implant works in a similar way to the contraceptive implant in humans, stops em getting up the duff lol : victory:


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## shoreset (Dec 27, 2009)

I'd preffer the spay/nueter, I may give louie the implant (he's nuetered) as it is suppost to reduce th chance of them getting adrenal but I'm still umming and arring about it.

TBH I think that vets reccomending implant over nuetering and spaying is possiblely saying it to make more money (roughly 60-100 one of fee for nuetering, or 50-80 almost yearly for the implant)


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## Lenor (Jul 24, 2009)

I love the way people always think vets only give out advice in order to make them money!!! 

Ferrets have a higher rate of adrenal disease and adrenal gland tumours than most other commonly kept domestic species, and this has recently been linked to neutering. Removing the sex organs removes the negative feedback on the hypothalmic-pituitary-adrenal axis that would be provided by the production of sex hormones, which results in the adrenal glands being constantly stimulated, and seems to be linked to the increase in tumours. The deslorelin implant doesn't seem to cause this problem. However many neutered ferrets will not go on to develop tumours, so surgical neutering is still an option and saves the hassle of remembering to get the implant replaced every one-two years and may indeed be cheaper.

It's not quite clear why this seems to be a problem in ferrets and not other domestic pets such as dogs cats and rabbits in which removal of the sex organs doesn't cause similar problems.

The fact your vet is keeping up to date with ferret medicine and is therefore able to offer you the best treatment options for your ferret should be seen as a good thing, it's sad that instead it seems to be seen as them coldheartedly trying to make them money with no regard for your animal.....


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## Shadowz (Aug 6, 2008)

It has recently been linked to neutering in YOUNG animals in US ( eg marshalls ferrets neutered at 6-8 weeks old ) 
I dont have a problem with using the implant ( can be expensive thou as it might need doing yearly - last 12-18 monts and its £85 a pop down here ) 
We still neuter here and will continue to do so as the research so far is not relevant to us as such as we would not neuter at such a young age anyway



> The fact your vet is keeping up to date with ferret medicine and is therefore able to offer you the best treatment options for your ferret should be seen as a good thing, it's sad that instead it seems to be seen as them coldheartedly trying to make them money with no regard for your animal


sadly they might not be the case - most vets have had papers etc sent to them
about the US research and most are jumping on the band wagon without doing their own research into UK ferrets. 
As I said I have no problem with the implant - I have one implanted as he could not be neutered due to health problems but he will be neutered when implant run out.
Not much research have been done on continuing use of the implant so it might turn out that the implant is not safe to use over and over again - the people who impant now and do it more then once are in a way acting as guinea pigs to see what happens ( which is fine as people obviusly need to find out more about it )


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## GingerSnapzBack (Oct 21, 2010)

Thanks for all your advice.

I know I'm being a pain but I just want whats best for the animal I don't want to cause it harm or damage or anything like that.

I've received a few emails since from local vets and there all also telling me to just get the implant. I will be getting a Jill, just thought I'd throw that in there to see if you have anymore tips and such.

Thanks alot people!!

It means alot


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## miss_ferret (Feb 4, 2010)

where abouts are you? i only ask as iv seen vets from 2 seperate practices in the past week (long and boring story), asked them both about the best thing for my jills and both have only mentioned the implant as a sort of 'you can try it if you want, its up to you', they where both of the opinion that more research was needed.


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## GingerSnapzBack (Oct 21, 2010)

I'm from Warrington, Cheshire. 

GSB


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## wolfmagicrattery (Mar 16, 2009)

when i phoned up to book bam bam in for her to be done the vet told me beacuse of her age is at a higher risk of getting adrenal disease so hence why am going in on firday to talk about our options for bam bam


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## GingerSnapzBack (Oct 21, 2010)

You will have to keep me updated on what they say!


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## wolfmagicrattery (Mar 16, 2009)

GingerSnapzBack said:


> You will have to keep me updated on what they say!


yes i will ive never heard of the implant till my vet mentiond it i knew you could get a jill jab done


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## Shadowz (Aug 6, 2008)

I do think the implant has its used - in younger ferrets so they can mature before being neutered. 
Eg waiting until they are 2ish yrs old. 
Downside they often have to be sedated to have it done - the needle is bigger then a microchip needle.


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## wolfmagicrattery (Mar 16, 2009)

Shadowz said:


> I do think the implant has its used - in younger ferrets so they can mature before being neutered.
> Eg waiting until they are 2ish yrs old.
> Downside they often have to be sedated to have it done - the needle is bigger then a microchip needle.


 
yes the vet did mention about her begin sedated but she told me its the size of a microchip needle poor bam bam :gasp: but if its better for her beacuse of her age i dont mind paying it at all


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## vetdebbie (Jan 4, 2008)

Just to confuse the issue more there is anecdotal evidence ffrom the States that using the implant causes any adrenal tumours that do develop later to be more aggressive than usual, although overall incidence is lower.

And WOW I am obviously uber cheap 'cos our implants are only about £40!


NB Just to ensure everyone is aware the implant not officially licensed for use in the ferret?? You should be asked to sign an off-label consent form before implantation.


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## Shadowz (Aug 6, 2008)

Are you totally sure about that Debbit - I thought it was now licenced in dogs and ferrets ?


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## vetdebbie (Jan 4, 2008)

I'll check the labelling tomorrow,


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## BecciBoo (Aug 31, 2007)

miss_ferret said:


> according to my vet the risk of cancer after spaying is very small (personally iv never heard of it happening, but this is personal experience), and nothing compared to the consequences of leaving jills in season.



We have diagnosed it quite a few times in the time I have been working at an exotic vets...we have operated on a few also.


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## miss_ferret (Feb 4, 2010)

like i said, i was only going off personal experience. i imagine someone in a vets would see more ill ferrets than me though :lol2:


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## wolfmagicrattery (Mar 16, 2009)

took bam bam to vets got the implant done was 77 pounds and the vet said it last btween 12 and 24 months i did not see how this was done as they took her out back but when she came back she was happy and calm and all cuddly and the vet printed loads of info off for me about the implant


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## slinkycustard (Nov 24, 2009)

I want to get mu kit done. but i cant find a vet in derby that dose ferret implants. can anyone help?


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

I think all in all it would be better to have the implant in a young jill until she could be speyed at a older age but how can they tell when the implat is o longer working unless they intend you to wait until she comes into season before speying her!

Then you would be paying for a jill jab to take her out of season before being able to spey her.

I know it's better to wait until the second year before speying but I would rather use a vas hob than an implant whether people say vas hobs don't work or not.
I used a vas hob for 5 years, years ago, he never 'accidently' got a jill pregnant..........


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## slinkycustard (Nov 24, 2009)

saxon said:


> I think all in all it would be better to have the implant in a young jill until she could be speyed at a older age but how can they tell when the implat is o longer working unless they intend you to wait until she comes into season before speying her!
> 
> Then you would be paying for a jill jab to take her out of season before being able to spey her.
> 
> ...


Its a Hob I want the implant for not a Jill.


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

Do't suppose a vas hob would be much good for that then...lol

I was referring to the posts about speying jills to be honest. I know nothing about the implant and hadn't realised you could have a hob implanted!
Why not just have them taken off? Surely if he's a 'he' it won't jurt waiting until he's 2 years old and the the risk of tumours is not so bad....although if the research has been done in the US they neuter at only a few weeks old so that may not even be relevant here!


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## bionic_bunny (Feb 7, 2009)

The advice given by the vet is excellent. A close friend of mine lost her spayed ferret to adrenal disease recently and it was horrendous. Spaying in combination with the inplant is an option. Many vets are still unaware of adrenal disease as it is only in the last few years that the knowledge had become available.


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