From:
Katrina Ramsell
Date: 2011-06-02 03:55:45 UTC
Subject: RE: [ferrethealth] insulinoma
To: <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
If Annabelle is very muscle wasted she may be weak partially because she doesn't have the muscles to effectively move her legs. It sounds like some of it though is due to hypoglycemia. Do you know what her most recent glucose value was? Normal glucose in ferrets is 80-120 mg/dl. If she has lost a significant amount of blood recently, she may be anemic, and that can make her weak. Reduced food (and therefore calorie) intake can also contribute to weakness.
I use amoxicillin, clarithromycin (Biaxin), ranitidine (Zantac), and sucralfate (Carafate) for treating Helicobacter associated ulcers. Sometimes ferrets can have ulcers due to other reasons - inflammatory bowel disease, GI upset from prednisolone, etc. It is important to get an antibiotic on board if an ulcer is present. I usually use a combination of amoxicillin and Baytril to get good, broad spectrum anti-bacterial coverage. Carafate is critical and I often have owners give it several times a day if their ferret's stools are black and tarry. Unfortunately, when ferrets are having diarrhea and/or severe gut upset, oral medications are potentially not absorbed as well from the intestine. Injectable antibiotics may need to be given under the skin to improve their effectiveness (e.g. injectable Baytril can be given with some fluids under the skin - this will also help with hydration; diluting the Baytril will also help prevent "Baytril Burns"). Also, many ferrets do not like the taste of oral Baytril but will usually tolerate oral amoxicillin ok. Oral Baytril can be hidden in food, but the ferret must eat the whole meal to get the entire dose. (Also, warm the food before adding the antibiotic....i.e. don't nuke the antibiotic).
Some of my patients seem to have diarrhea that is associated with a/d. I've been recommending Innova Evo 95% chicken/turkey canned cat food (in the rust-colored can) for supplemental feedings (1 can food + 1 can water; pureed and served warm and yummy).
Take care,
Katrina Ramsell Ph.D, DVM
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