**If I were a ferret, I'd curl up in a hammock, under a polar fleece
blanket and take a good long nap.  Then I'd climb up the side of my cage
until I could get to the roll of paper towels, and make it snow paper
towels all over the room :-)
 
**There is a good substitute for Ensure for ferrets with insulinoma.  It
is called Glucerna... from their website:
 
Ensure(r) Glucerna(r) is clinically shown to help manage blood glucose
levels when compared to standard nutritional beverages or an ordinary
snack bar.  It's complete, balanced nutrition available in three delicious
beverages and two nutritional bars.
 
**I don't fault Laura for not having surgery done on a 7 year old ferret
with insulinoma who's tumors can't easily be seen through ultrasound.
The older a ferret gets the less likely they are to survive anesthesia.
A ferret's natural lifespan is 7-9 years, and with a solid medication
protocol her ferret will likely live another year or so (Laura you can also
try Proglycem in addition to the Pred, speak to your vet), which is within
normal life expectancy.  So why would you want to subject an older ferret
to a very invasive procedure that he might not survive and has no guarantee
of future results?
 
**www.ferretstore.com offers a selection of free ferret greetings cards
that can be e-mailed to people.  In fact I'm off to send one right now!
 
Anne
[Posted in FML issue 3153]