Ferret Melatonin Treatment

Melatonin treatment is given to ferrets as one of many options for adrenal gland disease. Sometimes it is used alone or in combination with other drugs. Melatonin is a hormone made in the ferret's body, but larger doses can be helpful in the fight against the hormones that are thought to cause adrenal gland disease. Melatonin given to ferrets is made from minks.

  1. Function

    • Adrenal gland disease is thought to be caused by a sudden increase in the ferret's production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). GnRH activates the production of two sex hormones: follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). These are the two hormones that cause the adrenals to behave abnormally or to even grow tumors. Melatonin helps suppress the production of GnRH.

    Dosage

    • The cause of adrenal gland disease in ferrets is unknown. Ferret Universe.com, made up of long-time ferret owners and their vets, and Dr. Jeff Rhody, DVM, theorises that an increase in light caused by domestication may somehow triggers the overproduction of hormones. They recommend giving one milligram of melatonin eight to nine hours after sunrise. However, there are also melatonin implants that can administer the dosage when needed.

    Potential

    • Melatonin implants are injected, similar to the way microchips are implanted. The implant devices usually come with a syringe and instructions. They release as much as three milligrams of male mink melatonin a day. Although melatonin implants are approved by the FDA for ferrets, melatonin itself is not regulated by the FDA. According to Ferrets Anonymous, studies are currently being done to see if melatonin can prevent adrenal gland disease.

    Advantages

    • There are some advantages to using melatonin treatment for ferrets. Melatonin has no known bad interactions with any kind of drug--including drugs for adrenal gland disease. Ferret Universe reports that the only known side effect is grogginess, which usually wears off in five days. Compared to drugs like Lupron Depot, melatonin is far cheaper.

    Effectiveness

    • Melatonin treatment does not work in all ferrets with adrenal gland disease. Although melatonin will not make a ferret feel worse, it also may not help the ferret get any better. It all depends on the individual ferret's health and circumstances. According to Dr. Jeff Rhody, DVM, melatonin treatment isn't as effective as surgery to remove one or both adrenal glands.