Message Number: YG8192 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Mike Janke
Date: 2001-10-26 01:45:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Insulinoma question+ more

Consistently low blood glucose readings below 70mg/dl is definitely
indicative of insulinoma. I've never heard of an infection causing a
consistently low reading or arbitrarily adding 10 or 20 points to the
reading because of where the blood is drawn from the ferret's body.
Perhaps one of the vets here will comment on that.

You said you give Bandit 200mg (milligrams) of 4-month Lupron, and I
assume it's safe to say you meant 200mcg (micrograms). 200mg would
cost in the neighborhood of $20,000! 200mcg is a really low dose of
the 4-month form and probably won't have the desired effect. The
lowest dose I've ever seen recommended is 100mcg per month and often
times even this is not enough. You're giving half that amount on a
monthly basis. I've had good results with 150mcg per month in one
ferret while another requred 300mcg per month initially, after which
we were able to cut back to a maintenance dose of 150mcg.

Since adrenal disease can contribute to loss of muscle mass and a
pear shaped appearance, this may be why he feels boney and at the
same time, all his weight is in his belly.

Pred is the drug of choice for the initial medical treatment of
insulinoma. With long term use, it does tend to cause what many
describe as a "pred belly." So this could also contribute to his
appearance. Perhaps 0.5mg twice a day is not a sufficient dose if
his glucose levels are still so low? You'd have to talk to your vet
about increasing the dosage. Then there's always Diazoxide (brand
name Proglycem) which works well in some ferrets and not so well in
others. Plus, it's somewhat pricey.

Whether or not Bandit is up to surgery is something only your vet can
tell you. You really don't have a lot of choices. Either surgery or
continue with the current medical treatment, possibly adjusting the
dosages of both the pred and Lupron, maybe adding diazoxide, and a
high protein diet.

mike

--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., cjbandit@a... wrote:
> Hi Everyone,
>
> Bandit's blood sugar has been consistently low (the bg reading that
was taken
> in the vets office has been 48). My vet is not convinced that he
has
> insulinoma, he believes that possibly some infection or abnormalty
in the
> gastro-intestinal area is the cause for the drop in sugar. He also
said that
> it is necessary to add +10 - +20 to the initial reading. Something
about
> where the blood is drawn is not an accurate reading???
>
> Anyway Bandit's been put on pred .50 twice a day and he's been on
it for a
> few months now. The vet described it for the BG and for it's
anitflamatory
> benefits.
>
> I know this vet is top notch but none of the vets on-line to my
knowledge
> think 48 or 68 is within normal range and not indicative of
insulinoma???
>
> Bandit is also on a 4-month- 200mg of Lupron because his right
adrenal tissue
> has grown back. Supposedly cells were left behind after
cryosurgery.
>
> Anyway, I'm not sure what else I can do for Bandit at this point.
I'm really
> concerned about him he's always sleeping and rarely likes to be
held. His
> poopies are soft and stinky and he hardly eats dry food anymore- I
feed him
> babyfood and science diet three times a day. He's about 3lbs but
it's all in
> his belly he feels bony to me and not very muscular.
>
> Am I doing the best thing in terms of treatment, what else can I
do?? What
> other tests can I run to find out what's going on? and does anyone
want to
> comment on my vets treatment?? I just had a CBC done and it came
back normal.
>
> Oh, Bandit is (5/6) but very fragile, he's blind and I don't
believe he would
> tolerate another surgery well. The first surgery he had was about
2 years
> ago and he had both adrenals removed. One the Left was surgically
removed
> and the right they got with cryosurgery.
>
> Please help,
>
> Christina