Todd, Andi and Bailey,
 
>Daily dexamethasone shots for insulinoma
>Long term steroids can lead to kidney damage
>Any way to decrease the risks ?
 
It sound like little Bailey has been through a lot in her 4 years (adrenal
tumor, uterine stump removed and insulinoma).  There can be many potential
side effects of long term steroid use (kidney damage, GI ulcers, weakened
immune system, etc.).  This is why it is best to only use long term steroids
when the benefits outweigh the risks.  When there is no other alternative it
is important to perdically wean down to the lowest dose possible (somtimes as
low as every third or fourth day).  Insulinoma can be medically treated with
steroids, which will result in higher blood glucose levels and less chance of
symptoms.  Insulinoma are tumors of the pancreas which can get worse with
time (so bad that it may not respond to steroids ) The best treatment for
insulinoma is surgery to remove the pancreatic tumors.
Unfortunately there is no effective way to prevent any of the potential side
effects of steroids.  I do recommend that any patient on long term steroids
have yearly bloodwork which could cue us into a prolem before symptoms
appear.
As far as feeding her a low protein diet: I think its a good idea if
possible.  If its not possible to feed her seperately I would recommend
mixing kitten and maintenance food 50:50 after the youngest ferret is 1 1/2
to 2 yrs. old.
good luck
Dr. Weiss
c [log in to unmask]
301-299-4142
[Posted in FML issue 1072]