From:
AFERRETVET@cs.com
Date: 2003-11-16 07:20:58 UTC
Subject: Re: Diabetes and adrenal?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <1a6.1cd5b060.2ce87f5a@cs.com>
Hi Patty,
Interesting question about the cause of your ferret's
diabetes and wether it is insulin dependent DM or
non-insulin dependent DM.
First how can adrenal gland disease cause diabetes?
1) If it is overproducing cortisol (~5% will) then the cortisol
can cause diabetes.
2) If it is overproducing progestogens (~55% will) then the
progestogen can cause diabetes.
3) If the ferret is obese then the excessive fat can cause
diabetes.
How to read the insulin concentration test?
1) In cats with non-insulin dependent DM, the insulin concentration
is usually low, so insulin concentration is not used.
2) The test has to be validated for the species being tested.
The human RIA test is not accurate in cats.
3) The only lab that I know of that offers a ferret insulin is the
University of Tenn., and it is only rarely used in insulinoma cases.
4) Unfortunately the suppressive effects of elevated glucose on beta
cell function (called glucose toxicity) will often cause low serum
insulin concentrations in animals with non-insulin dependent DM.
Since very little work has been done with ferret insulin and diabetes,
no one knows how to interpret the insulin test except to say ferrets
are likely to be close to cats (see 1, 2 and 4).
Hope that helps,
Jerry Murray, DVM