From:
AFERRETVET@cs.com
Date: 2004-12-17 00:27:53 UTC
Subject: Re: Lymphoma treatment
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
CC: Wendy_vandensteen@pandora.be
Message-ID: <dd.1bfd9d2d.2ef38209@cs.com>
Hi Wendy and all,
There are basically 3 treatment options for ferrets with insulinoma.
1) is chemotherapy. This is usually a multiple drug therapy with
L-asparaginase, cyclophosphamide; and pred; or vincristine,
cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, L-asparaginase, and pred;
or vincristine, L-asparaginase, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin,
and pred; or L-asparaginase, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and
pred.
There is also a chemo therapy using oral and SQ injections that
Tufts University is working with that uses pred, L-asparaginase,
cyclophosphamide, cytarabine, methotrexate, chlorabucil, and
procarabazine.
2) less aggresive chemo with pediapred and cyclophosphamide (cytoxan).
Both of these are giving orally!!
3) palliative treatment with just oral pediapred.
In addition a high protein, high fat, low carbohydrate diet helps (baby food,
Hill's a/d, Pretty Pets Natural Gold for Ferrets,etc.) Lymphoma uses simple
sugars to grow, thus a low carbohydrate diet helps "starve the cancer."
Fish oil supplements also help. Antioxidants like vit E and melatonin may
also help. Unfortunately lymphoma is usually a fatal disease regardless
of what treatment option is used.
Hope that helps,
Jerry Murray, DVM