From:
tg830@hotmail.com
Date: 2004-09-17 18:56:03 UTC
Subject: RE: Episode changes for Boo''''s Insulinoma??
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <5921179.1095447363352.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Author wrote:
> Hi there,
> Boo is 2lbs. He was told to be on Prednisone tabs, 5mg. So he was told to take 1/2
> tab every 12 hrs. I'm afraid of giving him higher doses, one- because my vet was
> apposed. 2- because I'm so afraid of tearing up his stomach lining w/such a high
> dose. With his frailty, my major problems are knowing when to keep food, water,
> electrolytes coming and when to let him rest. I think one of my major setbacks is my
> vet is the only vet in the area that sees ferrets. With everyone's responses, I'm
> starting to wonder if he's not the optimum vet. I'm having a hard time figuring out if
> his long episodes may be caused by something I may or may not be doing for him.
> ?? These seizure, coma things aren't fun for him you can tell. He's not had the
> drooling, panting stuff in 2 days. From the neck up, he's my old Boo that I haven't
> seen in a while. He's alert, sniffing, blinking at me. But from the neck down he's not
> moving, can't stand well. Every once in a while he gets a energy spurt and tries
> walking. He's soiled himself, so I'm trying to get that cleaned up cause he's too weak
> to make it to teh litter box. All help is appreciated since I"m having to do this on my
> own! God bless, thanks. Keep the emails coming. It's helping me so much. Terra
Ok, Boo weighs 2 lbs, so he needs a minimum of roughly 4 oz of food per day. That works out to about 100 grams or 400 pieces of kibble. Is he eating that much? Probably not, and subsequently he's getting weaker, i.e. he's wobbly and can not stand or walk too well. Is he drinking enough water? Pinch the skin fold on the back of his neck. Was it slow to return to place? If so, he's also dehydrated and will have difficulty enough water to rehydrated himself.
If he is dehydrated, I would recommend that you take him to the vet, and ask him to give Boo a 25 cc injection of fluids intraperitoneally. (Ask for IP injection, they'll know what you're talking about)
If he's not eating enough to maintain his bodyweight, his body will start to break down muscle tissue and use it for energy. If this is the case, you're going to have to finger feed, spoon feed, or if neccessary, syringe feed Boo some type of Duck Soup until he's strong enough to start doing things on his own again.
Here's the recipe I use, but you can search the Net, or ask others for their Duck Soup recipe. Most every ferret owner has one they found works really well, and they are fairly similar in content.
Our Duck Soup recipe is as follows:
2 Cups Totally Ferret Finely Ground
1 Bottle Strawberry Ensure
1 1/2 Cups Pedialyte Unflavored
1 Can Natural Balance Ultra Blend Cat Food
2 Jars Gerber Chicken and Chicken Gravy Baby Food
2 Tbsp Ferretone
30 Grams Ferretvite
Boo will probably need 3 teaspoons (15 grams), 5 times a day.
That's every 4 hours, except when you're at work and overnight.
It will also help will stabilize his insulin levels because you'll know he's eating every 4 hours, and this will prevent his glucose levels from getting too low.
Another question, what area do you live in? Maybe someone knows another vet in your area who specializes in exotics.
Keep us up to date on Boo....
Sincerely,
Tim and Wendy