From:
Caitlyn Martin
Date: 2004-05-12 02:42:40 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] 2nd Insulinoma in 6 months
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <1043272.1084330521041.JavaMail.nobody@magnesium.smartgroups.com>
Hi, Gina, and everyone else,
Our vet does not put ferrets on prednisone after
insulinoma surgery. Generally after surgery blood
glucose spikes way upward by itself and then returns
to normal. So long as the blood glucose remains
normal and there are no symptoms he does not give
pred.
In his experience insulinoma surgery is rarely if ever
curative. How long a ferret goes before developing
symptoms again is completely variable. Of the three
ferrets we've had or have who had insulinoma surgery
the results were all very different. Ker Avon died
due to lymphoma nearly two years after his insulinoma
surgery. He never had low blood glucose after
surgery. Podo went 10 months without symptoms and is
still being maintained on a very moderate dosage of
pediapred (.15ml 2x a day, 1mg/ml concentration)
nearly two years later. Kodo went just four months
before his symptoms returned.
I've never heard that giving prednisone in any form
slows tumor growth in the pancreas, but I am no vet.
I can say that our vet does have about 34 years of
experience and I do trust his judgement and
methodology.
All the best,
Caity and the fearsome fivesome