From:
meltodandcats@juno.com
Date: 2005-05-29 03:04:17 UTC
Subject: URGENT: Need Help for VERY sick ferret post insulinoma surgery
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <5684592.1117335857025.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Hello, I posted the other day regarding my ferret, Fred, being "agitated" a=
nd making continuos laps around the kitchen - like maybe he was going stir =
crazy from the pain med - Torb - (is what I thought was the cause for his p=
acing). He took a drastic turn for the worst and is now in the hospital fi=
ghting for his life. I apologize if this post is longer than it should be,=
I am trying to include all pertinent info.
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First, please know that as I write this Fred IS hospitalized. The vets the=
re are stumped as to what may be wrong, so I am turning to you all for any =
help.
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This gets a little complicated because I took him to a vet whom I highly tr=
ust which is 4 hours one direction away from me. As luck would have it, th=
at vet is on vacation for the next week!! The local vet I usually see for =
my ferrets who is not a ferret expert but is very ferret knowledgeable and =
very willing to learn about ferrets is ALSO on vacation this week. Right n=
ow Fred is with the vets I take my cats to, and to give them proper credit,=
they also see ferrets, but are not ferret experts.
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On Tuesday the vet who performed the surgery said he had removed half of hi=
s pancreas that is was FULL of tumors!! He said he was worried about him d=
uring the surgery as his breathing was very shallow!! FYI: Fred had adrena=
l and insulinoma surgery a year ago today by the local vet, but has been on=
Pred ever since. His glucose level never maintained where it should be. =
He recently started getting worse and I decided after adding Diazoxide with=
no success to opt for a 2nd surgery. He did not adapt well to the 1st sur=
gery - he got very depressed and his glucose levels kept dropping and he wa=
s weak for some time after the surgery. Because of that I was afraid to ha=
ve another surgery done on him. But after consideration, I decided this wo=
uld be his only chance for some quality life as he was deteriorating in rec=
ent months.
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We picked him up Wed PM and he slept most of the night (surgery was on Tues=
day morning). Thursday night is when he was pacing like mad. Friday he to=
ok his meds and I gave him his turkey baby food (which I have given him tur=
key and chicken baby food daily as a supplement to his regular kibble). Wh=
en I got done with my shower, I looked in and Fred was laying with his hea=
d in the food bowel as is if he passed out. He was VERY WEAK! He has been=
very weak since I brought him home. The vet said his glucose was still lo=
w (I think it was 80) the day after his surgery. So when I got him out fro=
m his food bowl, I tried to give him some Nutrical (which he loves). He di=
d not take any. The vet sent pancake syrup home with me and I gave him som=
e of that via a syringe. Nothing! Still unresponsive. I thought maybe if=
I put a raisin in front of him he would perk up. No go! I rushed him to =
the vet (where he is at now) and he was pretty much nonresponsive the whole=
time. When we got there, his heart started beating faster and he was kind=
of panting. They gave him dextrose via a syringe (I think that is what th=
ey gave him) and it perked him up some if you want to call it that.
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They have him on a continual dextrose dip and are monitoring his glucose wh=
ich keeps fluctuating alot. One time it was 120 and the next it was 80 and=
so on. I went to visit him this morning and he looked like he was not the=
re. He had a very glazed over look. He has NO strength whatsoever!! He s=
tarted to pee on me and I put him in the litter and he collapsed and laid t=
here motionless not even trying to move. The vet today said it is almost l=
ike he is blind. That he put his head down in the water bowl and then when=
he got wet, he realized it was his water and moved his head.
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I asked if she thought he has a chance of surviving and she said yes. She =
explained it could be that his body is reacting to the removal of a large p=
art of the pancreas and that his insides are "angry". Oh, yeah, the vet wh=
o performed the surgery said that his liver was plastered to his pancreas a=
nd he had to maneuver it around to examine the pancreas from the other side=
.=
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Has anyone ever experienced this with your fuzzy? Are there any vets readi=
ng this who have any ideas or suggestions.
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I might have missed some info as my mind is in a complete fog right now and=
I can't stop crying. Fred is my baby and I can't bear the thought of him =
leaving me. I adopted him from a shelter in June 2002 and they estimated h=
is age to be 3 or 4 , so he is about 6 or 7.
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Could he have had a stroke? Is it possible the remaining pancreas is reall=
y that bad it won't compensate?
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And can Diazoxide still be given to him after the insulinoma surgery?? I a=
sked the vet where he is at now and they aren't sure about the Diazoxide.
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Any help or suggestions are much welcomed. If you want to email me directl=
y, my email is meltodandcats@juno.com.
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Regards
Melanie
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