From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2001-06-23 18:11:00 UTC
Subject: ATTN VETS: Fwd: Lupron controls Sabine's diabetes
Judith, who has been a friend for years, asked me to forward this for
her to the Ferret Health List for discussion. I found it interesting
and hope that it will lead to discussion, hypotheses, comments,
precautions, and directions of further inquiry by vets. It might
hopefully be a useful observation. Be great *IF* it pans out. (Hope
it does.) Diabetes is rare in them, but it often can be so hard to
control.
>
>From: Judith White
>Subject: Lupron controls Sabine's diabetes
>Status: U
>
>I thought you might want to post this to the health list:
>
>Sabine has had diabetes for well over a year, and she used to need
>insulin injections once or twice a day. When she began to show
>hairloss signs of a second adrenal tumor, Dr. Anna Edling and I
>agreed she would do better with Lupron injections than surgery. The
>Bean just turned 7 and is not strong.
>
>Dr. Edling told me at the time we began the Lupron injections that
>it might help control Bean's diabetes, and she asked me every month
>whether I was seeing an improvement. After three months, Sabine
>only needed insulin once a day for maybe half the days in the month.
>In the fourth month, she only needed insulin at most a third of the
>month. In the fifth month, she didn't need insulin at all. I
>thought there was an equal chance that she had an insulinoma growing
>on her pancreas again, but I now think I was wrong.
>
>I skipped her last Lupron shot at the beginning of June, and within
>a few days Sabine's sugar (I measure it in her urine, not her blood)
>was high up there. Fortunately for Sabine, Dr. Edling had a few
>extra doses frozen (a new vial would be way expensive), and she gave
>her a shot a week ago. In three days, the sugar level was coming
>down and today she didn't need insulin at all. Her blood sugar is
>still on the high side, but I can't test that. I go by her urine
>and this seems to be enough to keep her active and feeling pretty
>good.
>
>Dr. Edling says she has seen this in another ferret with diabetes.
>Has anyone else observed this?
>
>Blessings
>Judith