From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2008-10-21 16:40:28 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Elderly Ferret
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Insulinoma used to be rare here in the U.S., too,
decades ago. Some of that may have been people
missing it. Some of it may have been fewer people
getting vet care. Some of it may have been other
factors including genetic ones related to there being
very few fancies. Still, there simply were markedly
fewer cases of insulinoma then. This isn't just my
impression. I've heard it from multiple vets who worked
on ferrets 2 and 3 decades ago, too. (Adrenal disease
was very rare then, too. Splenic rupture was more
common back then but Helicobacter was not yet found
and treated then.)
Surgery is the best best, with a partial removal of the
pancreas, but you can choose to go with medication
instead. Prednisolone is usually the way to start.
Know that insulinoma begins often with the problem being
on and off so it can be harder to spot by testing due to that.
Then it gradually worsens. That is why meds and the
amounts given increase over time.
I know that some people consider 5 and six to be old.
Steve and i tend to look at 5 as late middle age and 6 as
early old. We've had 8 year olds who had surgery with no
problems. They do require more careful and longer
postoperative care, though. We find that some fancies
are harder post-operatively, too.
This will be useful for you and your vet:
BEGIN QUOTE of Abstract
J Am Anim Hosp Assoc. 1998 Nov-Dec;34(6):471-5.
Insulinoma in the ferret: clinical findings and treatment
comparison of 66 cases.
Weiss CA, Williams BH, Scott MV.
Potomac Animal Hospital, Maryland 20854, USA.
The clinical signs and surgical findings were reported for
66 ferrets with insulinomas confirmed histologically. All
of the ferrets were treated with one of three modalities,
and disease-free intervals and survival times were gathered
to determine the most effective treatment. The three
treatment groups included 10 ferrets treated medically, 27
ferrets treated with pancreatic nodulectomy, and 29 ferrets
treated with pancreatic nodulectomy combined with a partial
pancreatectomy. The mean disease-free intervals for each
group were 22, 234, and 365 days, respectively. The mean
survival times for each group were 186, 456, and 668 days,
respectively. Based upon the data, recommendations were
made for treating insulinoma in the ferret.
PMID: 9826281
END QUOTE
SEE:
http://www.jaaha.org/cgi/reprint/34/6/471
--- In ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, "mackenziew82" <mackenziew82@...> wrote:
>
> My little Bella is nearly 6 years old and she has started to have
> some health problems, which I thought someone might have some
> insight. I have done a bit of research on the internet and it does
> sound like insulinoma. To start with, she wobbles and falls over.
> If I don't give her some food (usually a bit of lactose-free pet milk
> if she won't eat biscuits), she starts to "blanks out" and can be
> quite lifeless, then begins drooling. By giving her food it helps,
> and after about 20mins, she is up and about (although slower than
> usual) and doing her favourite things like moving her toys around
> etc. I took her to the vet (we go to a vet that specialises in
> ferrets in my city) and he did her blood sugar level when she was
> drooling and lifeless the first time, which came back normal. That
> was in mid-august and it has come and gone since. I seem to be able
> to control it okay with the feeding mechanism, which makes me sure it
> is low blood sugar. Lately it appears to be happening more often. I
> suppose I am asking for opinions. Bella is my first ferret so I
> haven't had to deal with any elderly ferret problems before. I love
> her very much, but I wouldn't want to put her through any surgery if
> it was only for my benefit not hers, with the risk she could die on
> the table rather than in her home. I will try to take her to the vet
> again on friday to see if we can get a better blood sample (last time
> he couldn't get enough out) and possibly an ultrasound which he
> thinks may help diagnose her. I was just wondering if people think
> it could be insulinoma. I should also say that our vet is THE ferret
> doctor in town and he has only treated 2 insulinoma cases in over 20
> years, as it is so rare to see it here in Tasmania, Australia.
> Thanks for your help, Mackenzie
>
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