>From:    Shelley Abare <[log in to unmask]>
>
>From what I've read about the symptoms of insuloma, and the treatment
>for same (Kayo syrup on the gums) it sounds a lot like human diabetes.
>How similar are these two diseases?  Do ferrets get diabetes?  Has
>anyone ever tried insuline to control insuloma?  My guys are getting
>up in ag,e 2-7 years old.  I want to find out as much as I can on the
>latest/most effective treatments for my babies.
 
Hi,
 
Insulinoma results in lower than normal blood sugar.  Diabetes results in
higher than normal blood sugar.  The two diseases are close to opposite.
The treatment you mention (Karo syrup on the gums) is not quite right.
First, in a diabetic, you only administer something sugary when the
(person) has gone into a "diabetic shock," which means the blood sugar
has dropped very low.  You also only treat an insulinoma episode this way
(though it is not straight Karo, but usually a 50/50 mix with water).
 
Treatment for insulinoma is usually surgery first to remove as many of
the tumors as possible.  If the sugar continues to be low, steroids
(usually prednisone) is prescribed.  If you have to go this route,
discuss injectible steroids with your vet.  Oral pred can cause ulcers.
These ulcers can ultimately break and bleed, causing the ferret to bleed
out and die.  I've lost ferrets like this and it is a horrible way for
them to die.
 
I had one insulinomic ferret who stopped responding to the pred and my
vet put her on Dexamethasone.  That worked very well for her.  I now
have three others on dex for treatment of insulinoma.  All are doing
well with it.  It is injected SQ twice per day via an insulin syringe.
 
The first ferret - for whom the pred stopped working - was also
alternately diabetic.  She had an interesting set of illnesses!  Not fun.
Anyway, she was on insulin for close to a year to treat the diabetes.
Then she'd be off everything for awhile and her sugar was fine.  Then,
she'd go insulinomic and need the steroids.  We played this back and
forth game for a couple years.
 
Anyway, your vet needs to be involved in the treatment options.  But,
don't confuse the diseases.  Crashes look remarkably similar, but if the
ferret's sugar is high and you give more (Karo syrup), you can make it
spike high enough to kill the ferret.  On the other hand, if the sugar
is extremely low and you give steroids, you can make it drop further and
again, the ferret can die.
 
Talk to your vet if you have any problems that could be either of these
diseases.
 
Kim
[Posted in FML issue 4572]