Renal Disease in Ferrets
Pocket Pet · Mustela putorius furo · typical adult weight 0.60–2.00 kg
6 cited drugs treat Renal Disease in ferrets: Bicalutamide, Deslorelin, Desoxycorticosterone Pivalate, Finasteride, Fludrocortisone, Flutamide.
Acute or chronic kidney dysfunction. Drug selection is constrained by the need to avoid nephrotoxics (aminoglycosides, NSAIDs in many cases) and to dose-adjust renally cleared drugs. ACEi and dietary management feature heavily in chronic protocols.
The overview above describes Renal Disease across species; the citations below are the ExoticRx dose rules scoped to ferrets — a reference list, not new species-specific clinical guidance.
Bicalutamide
Endocrine| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO | 5 mg/kg | q24h | Adrenal disease — testosterone/androgen receptor blockade | Weak | Rosenthal K. Adrenal gland disease in ferrets. Proc North Am Vet Conf; 2000:1015-1016. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.948 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 11.8 (Endocrine and Reproductive Disease Agents Used in Ferrets). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
Deslorelin(Suprelorin)
Endocrine| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC | 4.7 mg implant | Every 12-18 months | Adrenal cortical disease | Strong | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 11.8 (Endocrine and Reproductive Disease Agents Used in Ferrets): 'Deslorelin (Suprelorin, Virbac Animal Health) | 4.7 mg implant SC55 | Treatment of adrenal disease, lasts 10-18 mo'. Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, FERRETS, label dosage (FDA-Indexed product): 'One 4.7 mg implant/ferret SC every 12 months.' REPLACES the previous segment naming Table 5.7 (Hormones and Steroids Used in BIRDS), which is the avian table. |
Desoxycorticosterone Pivalate(Percorten-V, Zycortal)
Endocrine| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IM | 2 mg/kg | q21d | Adrenal insufficiency after bilateral adrenalectomy | Weak | GoettSD, Degner DA. Suspected adrenocortical insufficiency subsequent to bilateral adrenalectomy in a ferret. Exot DVM. 2003;5(1):15-18. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.948 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 11.8 (Endocrine and Reproductive Disease Agents Used in Ferrets). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
Finasteride(Proscar, Propecia)
Endocrine| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO | 5 mg/kg | q24h | Benign prostatic hyperplasia associated with adrenal gland disease | Weak | Rosenthal K. Endocrine disorders of ferrets: insulinoma and adrenal gland disease. Annu Waltham/OSU Symp Treat Small Anim Dis: Exotics Proc 21st; 1997:35-38. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.949 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 11.8 (Endocrine and Reproductive Disease Agents Used in Ferrets). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
Fludrocortisone(Florinef)
Endocrine| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO | 0.05–0.1 mg/kg | q24h or divided q12h | Mineralocorticoid replacement after adrenalectomy | Weak | Shoemaker NJ, van Zeeland YR.A, Quesenberry KE, et al. Endocrine diseases of ferrets Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery, 4th ed., Elsevier, St. Louis, MO; 2021:77-91. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.949 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 11.8 (Endocrine and Reproductive Disease Agents Used in Ferrets). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929; Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery — ISBN 9780323484350, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323484350 |
Flutamide
Endocrine| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO | 5–10 mg/kg | q12-24h | Adrenal disease — androgen inhibition / periurethral prostatic enlargement | Weak | Shoemaker NJ, van Zeeland YR.A, Quesenberry KE, et al. Endocrine diseases of ferrets Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery, 4th ed., Elsevier, St. Louis, MO; 2021:77-91. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.949 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 11.8 (Endocrine and Reproductive Disease Agents Used in Ferrets). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929; Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery — ISBN 9780323484350, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323484350 |
Sourced from published veterinary references; awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer. See our editorial process. Reference only — not veterinary advice. Verify against current literature before clinical use.