From:
Risa Di Vincenzo
Date: 2003-12-17 13:56:37 UTC
Subject: Pred withdrawal?
To: ferret-list@cunyvm.cuny.edu, ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <t1071669078.c17.u2100120981@d702702598.iopener.net>
My ferret Mikette was put on pred 1.8ml 5mg/5ml at the beginning of August. Later tests it was determined she didn't need the pred for what we thought and in October we lowered her slowly to 1ml of the pred. Mikette was having other troubles (HUGE stomach bloat) and testing then discovered fat in her blood. So along with a change in her diet (discontinuation of duck soup) we slowly lowered her off the pred. By the end of Nov we had her down to .5ml and then off the pred completely by Dec 6th.
About a week ago I noticed a small head tremor, occasional and very faint. I could only notice it if she kept her body very still, it was a small movement. Today I'm noticing that her body has more of a slight tremor or small shake. Similar to the way they shake when they first wake up. This question is not to replace regular health care, Mikette's vet knows about the head tremor and I'm calling her today about the tremor. This is to get input from more experiences. Mikette's Blood Glucose was tested on the 8th and was 80 (she had been on the duck soup to keep up her BG, we'll keep watching it!)
I was wondering if her tremors could be a withdrawal from the pred. She does not have any spacey stares or glassy eyes like with insulinoma.
Here is Mikette's history
2/99 Born (-:
4/02 right adrenalectomy (not biopsied but noted as cancerous)
8/02 Blood glucose of 70, borderline insulinomic, but on high protein duck soup
BG checked every two months, slowly rose to 96 as of 7/03
4/03 enlarged spleen diagnosed
7/03 large tumor mass diagnosed, scheduled for surgery
7/03 pre-op x-rays discovered enlarged heart and extended tumor, surgery canceled
7/03 put on pred 2X day [0.6 ml of 15mg/5ml] changed to pediapred [1.8 ml of 5mg/5ml]
8/03 exam leading to possible fluid rather than tumor
9/03 ultrasound revealed no tumor, and heart not enlarged but fat around it
9/03 Complete Blood Count
9/03 Lymph Node cytology > found to be fat
10/03 slowly lowered pedia Pred to 1ml [5mg/5ml]
10/03 given 10 day antibiotic to rule out infection [sulfameth-trimeth susp]
10/03 Ferret Blood Chemistry > normal except for fat in blood, diagnosed lipemia
10/03 Thyroid test > normal
10/03 Adrenal panel > normal except for high estrodial
11/03 removed from duck soup
11/03 slowly lowering pedia Pred, currently at .6ml twice a day [5mg/5ml]
During all this Mikette has been getting an increasingly large abdomen (while still bony up top and along her spine) and lethargic. She has gotten so much more active since lowering the pred, but no changes in her belly yet. Her back claws kind of splay out and cross over each other sometimes, possibly from the weight. Her belly hangs so low and she can no longer climb up anthing, when caged (only during work day) she stays on the bottom level.
Please contact me with any questions or thoughts.
Thank you!
Risa