From:
Russell Prater
Date: 2002-09-03 18:36:46 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] older ferrets
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <3D75013E.7495AFB1@worldnet.att.net>
krisbleitch1973@yahoo.ca wrote:
>
> The oldest, George, is about 8 yrs old, he is losing excessive amounts of fur, and when he is let out of his cage to play with his companion Mimi, his back end collapses and he tends to drag himself around.
> We both hate to see this happening, the Vet in our town has little to offer in the way of info, medication, etc. Any suggestions would be hugely appreciated.
It sounds like old George has adrenal disease (the loss of fur) and
insulinoma (the weak rear end). I would ask my vet to check his blood
glucose to verify, or not, the insulinoma. That is cheap and easy to do
and is a good diagnostic for insulinoma. The possible adrenal is another
situation. The only diagnostic other than the symptoms is a blood panel
that the University of Tenn runs. It's a good test, but very expensive.
If George has insulinoma I think I would opt for surgery to remove some
nodes and/or part of the pancreas. While your vet is doing that, he can
check the adrenals and see if they need to come out.
--
Russ, Booger, Bonnie & Clyde
russellprater@worldnet.att.net