From:
Joanne D'Amico
Date: 2003-01-13 04:52:37 UTC
Subject: RE: OK, I took another glucose test ...
To: FHL Ferret Health Digest <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Message-ID: <3E224615.2F7F42C8@bellsouth.net>
Please bear with me, but I think I am missing parts of this story ... I
am not a vet, but I am a Med Tech (laboratory specialist), and have had
ferrets with insulinoma, so I feel that something is amiss here. First,
a ferret with a glucose of 15 should not be alive, let alone awake and
aware. Is the glucose analyzer properly calibrated and checked (with a
control solution of known concentration?). Next, my vet offers the
following options for ferrets with hypoglycemia - mild: prednisone and
duck soup. If the ferret is a candidate for surgery, surgery and or
chemotherapy (Doxorubicin). And if not, Proglycem ($$$$) or its generic
form (diazoxide), which she will order and compound for about $50 for 30
ml (1 oz). So far, each ferret has survived long enough to die of some
other ferrety malady ... what concerns me most is the idea of giving
Ferret-Vite or other sugar rich substances, which stmulate the
insulinomas to hyper-secrete more insulin, inducing yet another crash
... I assume that you only administer the karo-water to bring the
glucose up when a crash has occurred, followed by high protein foods
(baby food chicken or turkey, duck soup, Bob C's Chicken Gravy w/o the
honey or Nutrical), and immediate follow-up at the vet ... I would
definitely be discussing the additional meds and/or surgery with my vet
ASAP. Wishing you the best of luck with Melissa ... Jd