Leanne wrote:
>You are basing your diagnosis (aka: not a vet) on signs that you are
>sure you know exist because you know what they are and have seen them?
>Seriously, I am concerned. Do you know that other illnesses can mimic
>low blood glucose levels in ferrets? I'm sure you do. Do you know
>diabetes can mimic low blood sugar in ferrets apart from sometimes
>not so obvious symptoms?...
About every two years I hear of a ferret with diabetes who was
automatically given Prednisolone or Prednisone because insulinoma was
ASSUMED due to the symptoms being the same. Guess what? Doing so can
cause such a high level of blood sugar that severe -- and even suddenly
fatal -- multiple organ damage can occur. In most of the ones I have
heard of the damage was severe enough that the ferret's life was
markedly shortened.
Assuming insulinoma is present and treating for it when diabetes is
instead present is all too often a fatal sentence for a ferret due to
a human lack of judgement. If the testing had been done those ferrets
could have been treated; a lot has been learned about treating diabetes
in ferrets since the last century.
Sukie (not a vet)
Current FHL address:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth
People can join there or can send a blank mail to the automated
joining address:
[log in to unmask]
and then follow the directions.
(The second is recommended for those having problems with Yahoogroups
web settings, and afterward send a blank mail from your subscribed
[log in to unmask]
to get the digest instead of individual mails. )
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/http://ferrethealth.org/archive/http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.htmlhttp://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/http://www.ferretcongress.org/http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
[Posted in FML 5506]
