From:
"Jeff"
Date: 2011-10-04 01:46:23 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Delayed stomach emptying
To: <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
All of these complications may or may not be related to you suddenly cutting her back to just one dose of prednisolone a day. This is a steroid that you're dealing with and it can cause far more harm than good to suddenly alter the dosage radically. You have to remember that the purpose of giving pred to a ferret with insulinoma is to try to keep a stable and steady blood glucose level. BUT, the ferret effectively metabolizes the pred within 8 or 9 hours, so giving it just once a day is a very dangerous thing, as it leaves a window of 15 or 16 hours where he BG levels could get very low and she could end up in a seizure. At the very least, it leaves her with probable low BG levels for that long period of time, during which she is weak, probably not eating or drinking, not able to walk or play normally, and also potentially forming ulcers from the stress on her body.
Pred for ferrets with insulinoma must be given at least every 12 hours, and I personally prefer 3 times a day, every 8 hours. With that being said, there is also a possibility that the pred you were giving her was keeping some level of IBD in check. Cutting back to once a day may have allowed the IBD to also recur, causing all kinds of havoc with her digestive tract.
I would definitely do the barium x-rays to see if a blockage could be found, and if so, whether or not it can be helped thru with extra ferret laxative and maybe extra plain pumpkin in her soup. If not, then surgery to remove it may be the only recourse. Also get her back on pred twice daily immediately, or better yet, break up the total daily dosage into 3 parts, every 8 hours. This may also help reduce any inflammation if IBD is also present and contributing to her problems.
Jeff
In Loving Memory of Neo, Trinity, Morphy, Possum, Pip, Pop, Sabrina, Minnie Mouse, Hunny, Misty, Frodo, Baggins, and Mr. Parker
Caring for Luna, Baby Girl, Dozer, Boomer, and Zoomer
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