Message Number: YG5250 | New FHL Archives Search
From: AFERRETVET@cs.com
Date: 2001-07-07 10:37:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] Insulinoma Advise

Hi Tiffany,
Insulinomas are a common problem in middle aged ferrets
(3-4 years) and older ferrets. With a blood sugar of 45 one can
be pretty sure that an insulinoma is the cause of the hypoglycemia.
No, 45 is not "too low" to do surgery. Your description of him still

eating well and being active, etc. are all good signs. Being just 4
years of age (and assuming he has no heart problem, etc) means
he is a good candiate for surgery. It does not make sense to wait
untill things get real bad before you do a major surgery if you
can do it when things are still good. Like most cancer treatments
"the sooner the better" rule applies. The bad news about surgery
is it usually does not cure the problem. Most ferrets will
eventually
need to be treated medically (diet, pediapred, and proglycem).
Hope that helps,
Jerry Murray, DVM