From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2008-01-20 05:08:26 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Diabetic Ferret
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
The latest insulin being used is Lantus insulin (from Avantis Pharmaceuticals) which has a
more even and gradual release in ferrets.
Giving some Brewers yeast for the chromium may help also. It helps decrease blood
glucose.
PZI is an older insulin choice and for a while was the best option (and for some ferrets
might still be).
A glucose meter makes sense. Pam Sessoms has an excellent page on using the Freestyle
meter. Not all meters seem to work well for ferrets and most only give an idea of trends
since their numbering is more accurate for humans.
As per a recent post from Dr. Jerry Murray to the FHL there will be a veterinary meter
available for us ferret folks in the near future.
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL2596
BEGIN QUOTE
Abbott's Alpha Trak glucometer is validated for
dog and cats. They are currently working on
validating it for ferrets. They were hoping to have
the ferret code by the end of Sept, so pretty soon
we will have a glucose machine that is very accurate
for ferrets! In the mean time the dog code is pretty close
for ferrets
Jerry Murray, DVM
END QUOTE
There are posts in the various archives to help you for example:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YPG376
BEGIN QUOTE
As others have pointed out, it is time to do a
simple blood glucose test to see if his blood glucose
is elevated (ie diabetes) or normal. If it is normal then
a blood profile can be done to check the kidneys and
a urine test can be done to check for a bladder infection.
If his blood glucose is elevated then insulin may be needed
to control his diabetes. PZI or Glargine insulin seem to work
best in ferrets. You can also use chromium to help lower
the blood glucose level.
You ae correct that baby food (especially if you add water to
it) will make a ferret urinate more than just dry kibble will,
because more water goes in so more urine has to go out.
Hope that helps,
Jerry Murray, DVM
END QUOTE
Another with a LOT of info:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG6592
BEGIN QUOTE
You have asked some good questions about how
to treat your ferret with diabetes. I will try to answer
them.
1) What type of insulin to use? This is a very good question.
The short answer is PZI VET insulin from Idexx.
NPH is an intermediated-acting insulin, and it is the best
insulin for dogs. Ultralente insulin is a long acting insulin,
and it is the second choice for cats and ferrets. The PZI VET
insulin is a beef insulin product that is the first choice for cats
and ferrets. Interestingly there has been very little work done
with ferret insulin. Cat insulin is very close to cow insulin.
That is why PZI works well in cats. I have asked Dr James Fox
(the lab vet at MIT) about which insulin is closet to ferret insulin,
but that research just has not been done. However in my
experience the PZI VET insulin works best, so perhaps ferret
insulin is close to cat (and cow) insulin. I would recommend starting
at 1 Unit/ferret 2 times a day of the PZI VET insulin. PZI is a 40 unit
per ml (U-40) product, so you will need U-40 syringes.
2) What diet should I use? The "ideal diet" for diabetic ferrest
would have a high protein content 50-60%, high fat 30-40%, with
a very low carbohydrate content only 1-5%, vitamins/minerals/etc.
Thus Gerber's baby food, Hill's a/d, and the new Pretty Bird ferret
food should be used as a supplement or as the main diet. Also treats
need to be low carbohydrate such as cooked meats, cooked eggs,
canned tuna/chicken/salmon, baby food, a/d. The new Hill's canned
m/d or Purina canned DM may also be good options.
3) What about chromium? Chromium or brewer's yeast has insulin
like activity and can help lower the glucose level. A suggested dose
of chromium is 20-200 mcg/ day, divided and mixed in with the food.
4) What about Lupron? If your ferret is showing signs of adrenal
gland disease then I would recommend Lupron (or surgery when
you get the glucose regulated). A small percent (~5%) of ferrets
with adrenal gland disease will overproduce cortisol. Cortisol will
elevate the glucose level and may cause diabetes.
Hope that helps,
Jerry Murray, DVM
END QUOTE
By going to their URLs you can find when they were posted.
There are more.
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
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