From:
SanQuatre@aol.com
Date: 2002-05-12 22:39:00 UTC
Subject: Insulinoma Treatments
I am still worried about Mystik.. as she is still acting strange at
times. It has been over a week since I took her to the vet. Some
blood was drawn from her and he said that for being six she was in
very good health because her kidneys and liver were fine but her
blood sugar was somewhat low. That's all I can remember right now
about it anyway. I told him that I had upped her prednisone to 7.5
CC from 5 cc the few days before I brought her in because I was
hoping it would help her, but he didn't really comment on that. He
gave me some Liqui-Tinic vitamin drops for her which he said would
help her neurologically. Apparently he didn't think that her
prednisone needed adjusting or something. She will still space out
sometimes now and she seems to be sleeping more than usual. Also she
will still tear up her litter and get herself all messy. Sometimes
she will sleep in her litter box too, getting herself soiled. That
is something she never did before untill recently. She will still
space out sometimes too. I don't know if this behavior is because
she is bored or frustrated or if it's due to her unability to see or
her insulinoma. I have put scents around the room she walks about in
most of the time and it has seemed to help her some, but she will
still get disoriented sometimes especially in her cage it seems.
This month I am getting my fers a bigger cage as the one they've
been in is really too small for two ferrets. I am hoping that the
new big cage will help get rid of frustration for them. I try hard
to let them out as much as they want, but I know that doesn't always
happen and they get frustrated. I'm hoping that a new cage will
solve atleast some of Mystik's behavioral problems. I really don't
know what to do about her though. She has been on prednisone for
quite awhile since we found out she has insulinoma. Our veterinarian
said that he wouldn't reccomend the surgery on her as it wouldn't
lengthen her life anymore than just the medication would. But now I
don't know. Would surgery help her more even though she has been on
prednisone for several months? I don't know if I should take her to
a different veterinarian for another opinion or what. Of course I
want the best for Mystik so she can live as long and as healthy as
possible, just now I don't know what the best is for her. I did not
want to put her through unnecessary surgery, that's why she has just
been medicated. With new information I've been looking into, some
from the Ferret-Health-list, I have been questioning more things,
but still I am confused. Mystik is of good weight and health besides
her insulinoma, so would it be best she has surgery even though so
far she has done well on the prednisone? Sometimes she will act
perfectly normal and she does love to walk around even though she
will space out and sometimes seem disoriented. She also eats and
drinks fine. I really don't know what to do for her now. I was
wondering if the Timmy's Tonic could be given to a ferret as they
were taking a medicine like prednisone, or would that have negative
effects? From what I read Timmy's Tonic has helped quite a few
ferrets with insulinoma. Mystik just isn't like her old self
anymore, atleast most of the time she's not. I just want her to be
like she was. Sometimes I think she's doing all better, then other
times she will get worse and act strange again. So I don't know.