From:
Caitlyn Martin
Date: 2005-03-26 03:25:09 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Need Advice...Surgery or not?
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <29154294.1111807684495.JavaMail.nobody@chromium.smartgroups.com>
Hi, Barb, and everyone else,
--- weaselwardancer@webtv.net wrote:
> After getting some
> testing done, my vet thinks he may have adrenal
> problems (some fur loss, weight loss, etc. and also
> possible Insulinoma (48 blood sugar level). He would
> like to do exploratory surgery soon.
That makes good sense to me. You have two diseases,
one which can be cured by surgery and one which can be
improved and sometimes cured by surgery. If Bailey is
otherwise healthy and strong and our vet made a
recommendation like that I'd probably go ahead.
> I know that
> removing the left adrenal gland would be a good
> thing
Left? How do you know it isn't the right? Or both?
> but I am wondering if the vet was to remove
> any growths or tumors on the pancreous, if that will
> really make much difference.
[...]
> she was diagnosed and was not eligable for surgery.
> What do you think are his chances of recovery even
> with the surgery?
Four of my ferrets, past and present, have had that
surgery. All four surgeries had definite benefits,
some more some less. Our best case was with Ker Avon
who had insulinoma surgery when he was three. He died
of lymphoma (unrelated) over two and a half years
later. He was cured by surgery.
Our worst case was Kodo. He was almost eight when he
had his surgery. If he hadn't had surgery he'd
probably wouldn't have lived long as all the pred he
could tolerate couldn't get his blood glucose higher
than 42 and it was often quite a bit lower. He was
symptom free for only four months but we were then
able to control his insulinoma with medication for the
rest of his life. He was nine and a half when he
passed away, again due to lymphoma which was
unrelated.
Insulinoma surgery is rarely curative but in my
admittedly limited experience it improved quality of
life in every case and I believe it extended the lives
of at least three of the four ferrets of mine who had
it.
All the best,
Caity and the fantastic five