From:
julie_fossa@yahoo.com
Date: 2002-09-16 20:07:09 UTC
Subject: RE: To the person on this list who is dealing with diabetes
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <30257398.1032206829507.JavaMail.root@scandium>
Author wrote:
> I would surely love to write and or chat with you as I am now going through
> this
> with a ferret that I am sitting for. As far as experiences, downs, up and
> the like.
> I have a four year old that had insulinoma surgery in June and we just
> diagnosed three weeks ago with diabetes. Any information you can pass along
> with be greatly appreciated...
> Thanks
> Leanne B
Dear Leanne,
I recently discovered diabetes in one of my shelter kids, Zeke.
I wish I could say he is doing great, but I lost him 9/5/02, six days into treatment.
In retrospect, here are the thoughts I have about what I might do differently the next time, if ever there is one. I hope our other members will jump in if anything here doesn't sound right.
Since diabetes is one of those conditions that is considered so rare in ferrets, we generally aren't on the look-out for it. The little one I had here had been drinking volumes of water for a couple of months, and urinating great amounts. I suspected his kidneys were failing, so when I used a Multistix in his urine checking for protein, I was quite shocked to find the glucose and ketones. I will be more alert to the possibility of diabetes in my ferrets in the future.
First, if you haven't already, invest in some urine stix to spot the glucose spilling into the urine. There are several kinds available; from the ones that just test for glucose and ketones, to the multistix that test for several additional things. I found the readings on the glucose/ketone strips to show lower concentrations than readings on the Multistix 10 strips. I don't know which would be the most accurate. (The glucose/ketone strips are more affordable)
Second, invest in a good glucose meter. Don't rely on the test strips to determine if or how much insulin you need to give. The Freestyle glucose meter by TheraSense only uses a small sample to test. Check with your vet on how he would want you to get your sample.
Once the glucose starts to come down, you don't want to 'bottom out' and induce a hypoglycemic state, so if you can determine what the ferret's glucose reading actually is, you and your vet can better determine how much insulin you can safely give.
If the urine strip is showing ketones are present, the ferret will desperately need fluids. Have your vet teach you how to give Lactated Ringers, subQ, if you don't already have the capability to do it. Dr. Murray recently posted an excellent protocol on treating a ferret with ketones in it's urine. He suggests treating Diabetic Ketoacidosis aggressively, and I have to say the presence of ketones probably played a big part in my loosing Zeke. Print out his post, and take it to your vet.
The dosage of insulin will be dependant on the glucose reading you get. Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents says to start at 0.1 Unit. It was suggested I start Zeke at 1.0 Unit. (his bg was 593 the first time it was tested at my vet's) If your vet follows the book, it may not be a dose that will be effective.
Hopefully, if the diabetes has been triggered by surgery, your little one will eventually stabilize and not need insulin long term.
With Zeke, I keep feeling I didn't do enough, fast enough. Actually, I suspect one or more of Zeke's organs were failing, and causing the high glucose and ketones; it's possible nothing I could have done would have brought him around. When he went into a seizure, his glucose was still 340 or more, and I never was able to get the ketones down.
Good Luck with your little one,
Julie