Message Number: SG10381 | New FHL Archives Search
From: LisaAtty@aol.com
Date: 2004-09-01 03:36:21 UTC
Subject: pediapred upsetting tummy ?/help
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <2454650.1094009781391.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>

For any ferret lovers or vets, here is my question - Katie, my going on 9 y=
ear old ferret (she'll be nine in december) has been very lethargic and her=
vet checked BG levels in June (60), July (32), last week (41). She is old=
and slow anyway, with cataracts, but she is the love of my life and still =
seems to like living. She has been on pediapred and flourinef since 2000. =
(adrenal and pacreatic surgery). In July, the pred was increased from .3 c=
c's/day to .3 cc/am and .2 cc/pm. (i think 1 ml/mg concentration) Last week=
it was increased to .4 cc/am and .3 cc/pm (total .7 cc's per day). Until =
the new increase, her appetite was quite good. She has been doing lots of =
tooth chomping since June and her vet doesn't know why (no black tarry stoo=
ls, no vomiting, no diarrhea). Since the increase in pred last week, she i=
s now acting uninterested in eating or drinking for the first time (she onl=
y eats dry Marshall Farm ferret food). My question is whether you think it=
is more important to gradually increase her pred to control her BG level, =
or whether we should keep the pred level or maybe drop it back to the prior=
dose so that her appetite will return. I am guessing that the added pred =
is upsetting her tummy, and she is weak enough that I fear for her if she w=
on't eat. She gets carafate twice a day, but that doesn't seem to be helpi=
ng. My biggest dilemma is whether to reduce the pediapred. I wonder which=
is more risky or deleterious - low BG (main symptoms thus far are lethargy=
), or upset tummy/low appetite.
Thank you for any thoughts you may have. I appreciate it very much.
Lisa =

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