From:
dr_bruce_williams
Date: 2002-04-25 23:31:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Question about insulanoma with other sickness...
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "quitwhinin" <quitwhinin333@m...>
wrote:
> My older ferret (Tasha) had to be put to sleep this past weekend.
It
> was a several week battle trying to get her well but it didn't
work.
> I recently brought in a new ferret to the home and am pretty
certain
> that the new ferret (Nibbles) brought in a virus. Tasha was doing
> well up until a couple of weeks after Nibbles came in then I
noticed
> the weight loss. My question is would the virus speed up the
> insulanoma (sry if my spelling is wrong)? Tasha was over 5 and was
> doing great until the new one came in...but she went down hill
> quickly...her blood sugars were very low each time they were
> taken...between 30-60 and at one point she went on antibiotics and
> acted like she was feeling better (and poops looked better) but
still
> didn't eat or drink much.
Dear Tammie:
You mentioned that the poops looked better after some antibiotics -
does that mean that she had diarrhea after the new kit was introduced?
While what the kit may or may not have brought in is not clear, it is
well known that in animals, diseases may be cumulative. The most
common diarrheal disease of ferrets, ECE, is far more lethal when it
infects older animals with other diseases.
Animals often outwardly show the severity of their illness. In the
wild, when animals exhibit signs of being seriously ill, they are
more ripe for killing than any other animal - a cruel fact of life.
Animals are well programmed to be stoic - and so we often miss early
signs of illness or when the illness becomes serious.
Eating and drinking are also key in recovery. If we are unable to
get adequate nutrients into a sick ferret, they often cannot make it
up on their own. Ferrets with hypoglycemia are especially
susceptible to nutritional deficits and require careful monitoring
and feeding in times of illness.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, dVM