From:
Bruce Williams, DVM
Date: 2001-03-15 20:52:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Need help with insulinoma fuzzie
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., PALOSZOO@a... wrote:
> I have 2 ferrets in a foster home with one of my volunteers. This
morning she
> lost Bernie to pancreatic cancer. Now we've been having a problem
with Bones.
> He's been insulinomic for about 6 months and on oral dexamethazone.
He seemed
> to be doing fine on a once a day dosage.
I think the first thing that we should do, before making any
medication adjustments is recheck the bloodwork. Are we sure that it
is simple hypoglycemia that is resulting in her "crashing".
Another suggestion would be based on my personal experience. I have
had far better luck reversing hypoglycemia with prednisone rather
than dexamethasone. Not every steroid is created equal, and
prednisone appears to have more significant effects on raising blood
glucose than dexamethasone. Dexamethasone has more rapid effects on
stabilizing blood vessel membranes, so is a better choice in treating
shock, etc.
Another possibility would be the addition of proglycem to the
therapeutic protocol.
With kindest regards,
Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
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