Almost half of the vets that watched a webinar about ferret medicine have said they would change their treatment protocols for adrenal disease and reproduction management as a result of what they learned.
The Virbac-sponsored webinar was led by John Chitty BVetMed CertZooMed CBiol MSB MRCVS and viewed by more than 600 practices, making it the most popular CPD event hosted by The Webinar Vet this year.
John Chitty said: "I provided an overview of treatment protocols for all of the common diseases but focused on adrenal disease as it's highly prevalent in neutered ferrets but may be reduced by the routine use of deslorelin implants. These implants can also be used to avoid surgical neutering."
According to a post-webinar questionnaire, 33% of clinicians said that they saw ferrets more than five times a year. Chris Geddes MRCVS, Product Manager at Virbac said: "This confirms what we thought: ferrets are being presented more and more in practice and so education on this species is vital. An amazing 41% of respondents said that they would change their protocols for reproduction management and 40% their treatment of adrenal disease following the webinar, showing how useful it was to those attending."
Virbac recently announced that it has gained a marketing authorisation for the use of Suprelorin 9.4mg in male ferrets. Suprelorin, a slow-release implant containing the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist deslorelin, offers temporary sterilisation without the need for surgery.
For those who were unable to see it at the time, the webinar can now be viewed by visiting www.virbac.co.uk. A CPD certificate is also available for download as are six other webinars previously sponsored by Virbac.
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I've used deslorelin implants for a few years now in preference to neutering or the 'jill jab' and our ferrets (nearly 30 of them)are certainly better off for it. It has also been given to those ferrets that have been surgically neutered for unavoidable reasons. I learned this at a CPD session given by Anna Meredith from Edinburgh and I'm delighted that the use of deslorelin is becoming more mainstream; ferret health will benefit.
Quite expensive though if you've got thirty ferrets, even if you're getting it at cost!
We use it on the hobs only and use a vasectomised hob on the jills. So, we can keep hobs in family or other social groups, which makes it easier for management and housing. It also gives us the option of using a chemically neutered hob as an entire hob; specially useful if a hob proves to be a good hunter. Yes, it does cost, but I think that the advantages of its use make it worth it. Also, when there are clinical problems after surgical neutering - which there will be eventually - then it would have to be given anyway as a therapeutic measure. Unless, of course, you think that it is too much money to spend on a ferret?