>She has had insulinoma for 12 months now, and her system seems to be
>"breaking down."  She sleeps in our arms, she is on prednisone but a few
>days ago I noticed her getting really skinny around the neck area along
>with hair loss on her backside.  Both my wife and I suspected adrenal
>disease as well.
>
>The doctor said that she is most likely getting an adrenal tumor because
>of too much cortuzol (sp?) from both the possible adrenal tumor as well
>as the prednisone.  Instead of 0.3 cc's of prednisone twice a day, the
>doctor decreased the dosage to 0.15 cc's twice per day.
 
Dear Larry:
 
The cortisol theory is not appropriate in ferrets - elevated levels of
prednisone do not cause adrenal tumors to develop, and the dosage of
prednisone that you are giving is not excessive.
 
I agree with the previous response that a blood glucose level should be
checked in order to more definitively identify whether the insulinoma is
the cause of the lethargy.  There are always options for adrenal disease
and insulinoma, including surgery.  If money is not an option here, I
always prefer giving every animal a shot at recovery.  If surgery is not
an option, then Lupron and an adjustment of prednisone dosage to control
the hypoglycemia would certainly be a worthwhile approach.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 3813]