To Rochelle:
 
Where did you get the term "coloniosis" and what was it referring to?  I am
unfamiliar with this.  Maybe Dr. Williams will comment when he returns.
 
To Escher's parent(s)
 
Sound to me very much like escher had a hypoglycemia attack and she is likely
dealing with an insulinoma (a cancer of the pancreatic beta (insulin
producing) cells).  It is extremely common in ferrets of her age and the
signs are right on.  The tumors are very tiny, but produce an excessive
amount of insulin which has the effect of driving the blood sugar (glucose)
into the bodies cells at too rapid of a rate.  When this happens, the
circulating blood glucose drops dramatically.  The brain needs a CONSTANT
supply of glucose to function normally.  When the circulating glucose drops
too low, the brain malfunctions and it can be shown in a number of symptoms.
Some of the common signs that you might see are:  Stopping and staring
blankly into space (acting out of it) for a few minutes, then snapping out of
it,
or foaming and pawing at the mouth as if something is in it (caused by a
feeling of nausea....this can also be caused by stomach problems like foreign
bodies and ulcers, but those cases are usually not eating well on top of
things...insulinoma generally does not interfere with eating habits), or just
being weak in the hind end as was described in this case and then coming out
of it, or going into a comatose state or even seizures.  The more advanced
the disease is the more frequent the signs and the more severe.  As long as
the body is able to it will keep counteracting the low glucose by producing
more through the liver primarily...but eventually it will be unable to do so
and the ferret may go into a permenant coma and pass away.
The disease is easily diagnosed with a FASTING blood sugar test.  You need to
withhold food for 4 to NO MORE THAN 6 hours prior to the test.  THis will
show if the sugar is too low.  Normal fasting sugar should be between 90-120.
 Your vet can also run an insulin level at the same time, but that is usually
(in my experience) unnecessary.
Get this pet checked out without delay.  Treatment may be a combination of
surgery and medical therapy.  The worst thing that you can do is give a lot
of sugary snacks and treats.  All this does is aggravate the condition by
stimulating insulin production each time you give them a sugary snack which
then results in insulin overload and hypoglycemia later.  Use materials such
as honey or karo syrup in small amounts ONLY TO BRING THEM OUT OF A
HYPOGLYCEMIC state and then as soon as they are swallowing normally and more
alert, give them a protein snack such as strained meat baby food or their
softened normal food.  The protein keeps the glucose from jumping up and
down.  It is also helpful to keep food always available and to add a
supplement of Brewers Yeast to the diet.  You can buy brewers yeast and
garlic tablets for pets at health food stores or from you vet if they carry
it.  Or you can just buy plain Brewer's Yeast in a powder or tablet.  Use 1/8
tsp of the powder twice a day, or 1/4 of a human tablet or 1/2 of a pet
tablet twice daily.  Brewers yeast contains chromium which is the glucose
tolerance factor which helps to regulate insulin and glucose levels.  These
dietary suggestions will not CURE the pet, nor stop the cancer from growing,
but they may alleviate some of the signs and prolong the amount of time the
pet is off other medication.
Get her to a vet...and good luck
Susan Brown, D.V.M.
 
[Posted in FML issue 0772]