From:
Casey Too
Date: 2007-03-16 18:52:53 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Re: need advice
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Thanks so much for all of the responses. I'm going to try hard to remember all of the questions and answer them best I can.
Her stools appear normal. She is still drinking plenty. Her skin snaps back and her gums are pink. She plays and steals toys like normal, much to my cat & dogs dismay. :o) She doesn't *appear* to be in any pain.
As far as winter being a dry season, I keep a humidifier running pretty much at all times in the cold temps. This includes the room she's in. The oral melatonin does seem to help. It is given 1.5 mg a day between 2-4:00. Now that the itchiness has come back, I am upping the dose, and have read that up to 3 mg/daily is used to "treat" AD's effects.
She is eating SOME, but not enough for my liking. I give her Nutro Natural Adult and Diamond brand Kitten.
The one thing I feared and probably prepared for the most was seizures. Yet she has had none. I took her cage apart, lowered it so she wouldn't seize on the top floor and fall to the bottom, or anything *crazy* like that. I keep the good sugary stuff on hand in case she crashes, etc. (I'm OFTEN told by family members...... Obsess much?)
I am one of those people who doesn't just take a vet's word for it. I read, read, read, and talk to as many people as I can before going in. (barring emergencies, of course) In fact, I replied to someone who emailed me off list about this, and explained how things went at the vet's office when I took her in. The short version was basically ME diagnosing, ME insisting on blood glucose testing, ME prescribing my own Pred. All she did was write out the bill and give me the meds I requested, and inform me that Laser's future was grim, and point blank the money for surgery was better spent otherwise. *insert fuming emoticon here* I have called them several times and asked about melatonin implants, and lupron. They hadn't heard of either. (But yes, they treat ferrets. Go figure.) So while I think a trip to the vet for a follow up on the glucose level may be beneficial, at this point I think that is about all they can offer me. It is extremely frustrating.
I've called the other vets in the area, including those who claim to do "exotics" and "pocket pets" but none other than the one I take her to, will touch a ferret. I've asked if they would special order for me so I could self administer and they won't even consider it. The only vet that would even hear me out wanted consult and full blood panels, testing, and exploratory surgery. Even then they wouldn't even give me a "MAYBE" on getting me the meds she needs. Small town living is not in the best interest in the keeper of a ferret. And because of this, I won't own another when she's gone.
I'm SURE I forgot something, if I did, I appologize and I'll go back through and re-read to try to catch everything.....
Sukie Crandall (edited) wrote: I agree that the insulinoma needs a follow-up and also that it would be great for you to
find a ferret vet in your area. If the list Jeff passes along doesn't help there are more and
people here may be able to suggest someone if you say generally where you are.
Also, if there is an adrenal tumor it needs something more aggressive than just oral
melatonin. There is a lot of information on adrenal disease in the archives.
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