From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2012-02-09 18:08:14 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Insulinoma Question
To: Mike <mcapps1@YAHOO.COM>, fhl <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
Okay, with over 30 years with ferrets we have had our share with insulinoma , as well as having had one with lymphoma in the pancreas (which looks a lot like insulinoma but worse, advances faster, and is harder to treat also often needing to have sugar water always available) and having one who had carcinoma in the pancreas (also looks a lot like insulinoma but is the worst of the three and also needs the sugar trick from our experience). Ones with Lymphoma or Carcinoma in the pancreas typically will have the blood work more "off", may die before they can be treated, and can be less responsive to medications.
Have food VERY available. If this means having extra food dishes around then so be it; the ferret needs to have rapid access to food whenever blood sugar drops.
Know that even though a higher protein diet is reported by people as best helping the majority of ferrets with insulinoma that is NOT something which is true for all ferrets. In the archives you will find people who found (or their vets found) that kibbles with more carbohydrates helped better. (As you already know from above if lymphoma in the pancreas or carcinoma in the pancreas is present even something more may be needed, as was with our two.)
Use Prednisolone rather than Prednisone (and you probably already are but I want this here for others, too). If the liver is at all compromised then it will not be able to process the Prednisone into Prednisolone to utilize it. We have even had one ferret from whom Prednisone might have been water, but Prednisolone worked perfectly (for a different problem in his case). Some find that certain ferrets respond better with Dex which just makes sense because individuals DO vary.
Try a two week dosing of Fludrocort before buying more. It does not work on all ferrets and is very expensive. From our experience, when that medication works the generic, Fludrocort, works every bit as well as the brand name, Proglycem, but is cheaper and more easily found. Compounding Pharmacies tend to be the best place to find it and there IS a list of compounding pharmacies (many of which ship) in the FHL Files section to help list members. We find that this medication works expecially well on ferrets who tend to NOT snack often but instead to have fewer, larger meals.
We have had excellent results from using Prenisolone three times a day, BUT honestly, I have NO idea if have two days each week of going back to two time a day would pose any hazard or not. You may be on unexplored ground there.
I feel like I forgot something that is actually KNOWN to be useful, but if I have someone else will pick up the slack for me. As all know, I am overly busy recently for family needs.
Please, don't punish the current moderators. The situation can be worse for the moderators than it appears on-list, and every moderator has at one time or another been pushed to the wall by certain posters. Especially when fear for additional ferrets and members based upon actual veterinary opinions and data also enter the equation it can be very hard on someone who is already donating dozens of hours each week tying to help ferrets and their people.
As you know, I left moderation after 10 years, but I have seen EVERY FHL moderator who did not stop moderating pushed to that point eventually by at least one person. Some get there due to rudeness, some due to inappropriate marketing, some due to faith healing, and some for other reasons. It gets HARD on the moderators, very, very, very hard at times, and much of what is hard also happens off-list with those people.
So, THANYK YOU, Moderators, for giving so very much or your time, your efforts, and your concern for ferrets and their ferret people to us all!
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
ferrethealth-digest@yahoogroups.com
ferrethealth-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ferrethealth-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/