>I am wondering if he could have contracted helicobacter at the time
>of surgery???I know nothing about helicobacter, other than the
>symptoms sound like what my boy has.  Would a fecal exam tell if it
>is helicobacter?
 
He won't have "contracted" helico; in fact it's believed that ferrets
may carry a small number of H. mustela constantly.  But the stress of
the surgery and recovery absolutely could have allowed it to flare up
to the point where it's a problem.  Helicobacter flare ups are common
in stressed ferrets.  There is no external test or culture for it - it
is only diagnosed and treated based on gross symptoms.  The treatment
is pretty benign, though, if you're following the current
Amoxi/Biaxin/Carafate protocol.  Because of that, your best bet is to go
ahead and treat for helicobacter if you suspect he has it.  (Note: the
older Amoxi/Flagyl/Pepto protocol tastes horrible to them and so ends up
causing MORE stress.  That's not a good idea.)
 
Pred won't do anything for a helicobacter overgrowth.
 
Prednisone should be helping with the insulinoma symptoms quickly -
within a couple of days.  The dosage needed varies with the case though,
so it sounds like you need to take your boy back to the vet (or just
call) to have the dosage adjusted.  Keep in mind that prednisone can
irritate the stomach, so if he is also having trouble with helicobacter,
his stomach might really be bothering him.  (And therefore the trouble
getting him to eat.) Carafate will help in that case.
 
roger
[Posted in FML issue 4488]