Comparison of 4.7-mg Deslorelin Implants and Surgery for the Treatment of Adrenocortical Disease in Ferrets

Ferrets exhibiting overt clinical signs consistent with adrenocortical disease (ACD) were separated into 2 treatment groups. One group received surgical therapy (n = 28), whereas the other group was administered a 4.7-mg deslorelin acetate implant (n = 35). Each group was evaluated for clinical response to therapy and time to return of overt disease signs. The mortality rate was calculated for the deslorelin group and for a larger pool of surgical cases (n = 54). This larger surgical group included ferrets for which follow-up to evaluate time to return of disease was not possible. The time from treatment to return of ACD signs was longer for ferrets in the deslorelin group (16.5 months) compared with the surgery group (13.6 months). Three ferrets from the surgery group showed no response to the treatment provided. All ferrets in the medical group responded to deslorelin, although the shortest period of efficacy was only 3 months for 1 ferret. Of the ferrets in the surgery group, 3 (5.5%) died within 24 hours of the procedure. No ferrets died as a direct result of implantation with deslorelin. Although there may be distinct advantages of one modality over the other for any specific patient (e.g., surgery to investigate known or suspected concurrent disease), these results suggest deslorelin is an effective and safe treatment for ACD that should be considered when surgical intervention carries significant risk.