Hi FML friends-

I would like to request input from you all.

Here is the scoop. We have a 4 1/2 year old sable male named Mocha.
He is a rescue and we have owned him for about 2 years. When he was
surrendered by his former owner to my shelter, he had been caged all
the time with 3 other ferrets, outside in a barn or shed, in a rabbit
hutch. He was not socialized and didn't know about toys or playing or
hugs or treats or even going upstairs. He ate like crazy when he first
came here and had an incredibly thick fur coat. Even now, Mocha is very
quiet, does not play or wrestle much. He likes tubes and shoes but
mostly likes to find hidey holes to take a bath. He does not hide toys
or play with them much.

Lately I have noticed that he is even quieter than usual, not tubing
much or even eating his crunchy treats. Two weeks ago, I found that he
had been vomiting and was sprawled out on the floor, drooling. Rushed
him to the vet who has 20+ years ferret experience. I thought Mocha was
showing signs of low blood sugar so I gave him ferret vite before we
left. By the time we got to the vets he had perked up and was snooping
around, then suddenly became lethargic and started drooling again, then
perked up again. Blood work showed normal sugar levels and all other
stats were normal too. Mocha has an enlarged spleen which the vet has
been monitoring over the past 6 months. The spleen is getting even
bigger but no signs of tumors in the rest of his body. There could be
tumors in the spleen per the vet. So the vet recommended we remove the
spleen. It may be pressing on Mocha's digestive track. He believed the
drooling was caused by nausea and treated with pepcid.

We feed our ferrets a mix of totally ferret dry food and warm "soup"
made from ground kibble and water. Since the vet visit we have noticed
that Mocha has stopped eating the dry kibble. We have had to increase
the soup. We have found that when he doesn't get enough to eat he just
does the speed bump and has no interest in anything.

I wanted to reach out to you all for thoughts on removing the spleen.
Has anyone had this surgery done and did your ferret recover OK?

Has anyone seen these symptoms/behavior before?

The family thinks it is insulinoma.

Please respond to me off line.

Thanks so much!!!

Pat Shaskin and Mocha

Pat and Gary Shaskin
Walk with The King and be a blessing

[Moderator's note: Please feel free to respond online too so we can
all learn. BIG]

[Posted in FML 7294]