Normally, I let the insulinoma ferret set his/her own pace. As he
begins to feel better, his activity will increase. In my experience,
different ferrets respond differently to a given dosage of pred.
With a ferret whose glucose level was in the 50's (before beginning
medication), you're mostly likely looking at a ferret who has had
insulinomas affecting his glucose levels for at least 6 months, if not
more. It seems that the longer a ferret has had insulinoma, the lower
the glucose level he can tolerate without having seizures or exhibiting
other symptoms (the hind quarter weakness, staring blankly, stumbling,
excessive - more than 14 hours a day- sleeping, lack of exuberant
play).

Six year olds can be just as active as a three year old ---- but there
are a lot of factors involved in an individual's activity level. Since
this one is new arrival, you don't know if he used to be permanently
hot-wired, or laid-back and mellow to begin with.

Adjusting medication dosage:
You can (and you should consult with your vet on this) try different
dosages of pred until you find a 'sweet spot' where he is notably more
active. With a ferret (diagnosed with insulinoma) for which I have no
medical history, I normally start with the next to the lowest dosage,
rather than the lowest. I maintain that dosage for at least one week.
Bump the dosage down one step the next week (to the lowest dosage), and
observe activity levels, check glucose on day 7 three hours after his
last meal. If no improvement in activity is seen or glucose level is
not above 70, return to second from the bottom dosage for one week
(this will be week #3), observe activity, check glucose on day 7. If
there's been no improvement, bump the dosage up one more step for the
next week (this will be week 4).

I don't really try to measure improvements for the first week of
medication. I use the 2nd to lowest med dosage as a general rule of
thumb, but it is not engraved in stone. I have started ferrets on a
much higher initial dosage when advanced symptoms were present. The
first week is more to give their system time to adjust to being
medicated.

This should be done in small changes in the medication for a consistent
period of time. Ask your vet for a suitable minimum dosage change for
this ferret. I am not a vet. This is simply the system I use to safely
determine the most appropriate dosage for a ferret without a medical
history.

Debi Christy
Ferrets First Foster Home
www.ferrets1st.com

[Posted in FML 5852]