From:
<pjdutche@email.unc.edu>
Date: 2003-08-02 14:41:19 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Insulinoma and Diabetes
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com, NANCY TAYLOR <ferretnt@comcast.net>
Message-ID: <1059835279.3f2bcd8fe0a2f@webmail0.isis.unc.edu>
Quoting NANCY TAYLOR <ferretnt@comcast.net>:
> As I was reading the post today, I noticed that there was some
> experience with insulinoma and diabetes.
I have had three insulinoma ferrets develop transient diabetes
unrelated to surgery. In two cases, at necropsy, there were major
problems with the pancreas besides insulinoma. One had an extremely
atrophied pancreas (my vet could not even identify visually) and the
other had a nasty, nasty case of acute pancreatitis (pancreas was
swollen, thick, and filled with pus). The third is still with me, and
he's never been as bad as the first two were.
> I believe that she may also have diabetes.
> She is on .6 cc Prednisone daily. However, she has started
> drinking large amounts of water.
Have you and your vet diagnosed the diabetes with a blood sugar test
and by testing for sugar in her urine? If not, definitely do that. I
doubt that diabetes is the only condition that will cause extra
thirst...
> I have been giving her Marshall
> Farm's Duck soup mixed with water. She won't drink plain water
> and won't eat her normal ferret food (8&1 and Totally Ferret).
For now, work on keeping her hydrated however you can. I've had to
make extremely watery soup like you're doing on many occasions with
sick ferrets when they decide they don't want to drink water. What
you're doing is good - just keep after it, and if she seems to be more
dehydrated than you can manage (tacky gums, eyes not bright, skin stays
tented up if you pinch it), ask your vet about teaching you how to do
some subcutaneous fluids at home.
> Any ideas on how to keep her blood sugar closer to normal on a
> daily basis?
Well, for my kids that have been hard to regulate, I've done home blood
sugar testing and also used diabetic urine test strips to check the
urine for sugar. Then, working with my vet, we adjusted meds
accordingly. However, make sure you have a diagnosis of diabetes (high
blood sugar and sugar in the urine) before you start worrying about
stuff like that.
Best wishes,
-Pam S.