Objective: To determine the effects of leuprolide acetate, a long-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog, in ferrets with adrenocortical diseases.
Design: Case series.
Animals: 20 ferrets with adrenocortical disease diagnosed on the basis of clinical signs and plasma sex hormone concentrations.
Procedure: Ferrets were treated with leuprolide (100 microg, IM, once), and plasma hormone concentrations were measured before and 3 to 6 weeks after treatment.
Results: Leuprolide treatment resulted in significant reductions in plasma estradiol, 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, and dehydroepiandrosterone concentrations and eliminated or reduced clinical signs associated with adrenocortical disease. Decreases in vulvar swelling, pruritus, and undesirable sexual behaviors and aggression were evident 14 days after treatment; hair regrowth was evident by 4 weeks after treatment. The response to treatment was transitory, and clinical signs recurred in all ferrets. Mean +/- SEM time to recurrence was 3.7 +/- 0.4 months (range, 1.5 to 8 months).
Conclusions and clinical relevance: Results suggest that leuprolide can be safely used to temporarily eliminate clinical signs and reduce sex hormone concentrations in ferrets with adrenocortical diseases. However, the safety of long-term leuprolide use in ferrets has not been investigated, and the long-term effects of leuprolide in ferrets with nodular adrenal gland hyperplasia or adrenal gland tumors are unknown.