Apologies - this post may be a bit long, but I didn't want to leave out
anything that may be relevant.
 
"If you have several ferrets, it is extremely likely that one of them,
sometime during it's life, will develop an islet cell tumor...." - Dr.
Williams, Insulinoma FAQ
 
Maxwell (aka Wellesley) is a 4 year old, N/D male, approx.  2.2 lbs.  He was
turned over to me in July, when his owner felt she was no longer able to
properly provide for him.  He has been loved and pampered most of his life,
and appeared to be in good shape when I received him.  He had been placed
out twice before, but was brought back both times.  The first was to a
soldier who got shipped to Bosnia... The second placement only lasted 2
hours, as the family dogs attacked him and scared both Wellesley (tho'
without causing physical inury) and the potential adopter.  I got him right
after this.
 
A few days later, he developed an ulcer and a mouth sore.  (He had been
eating and acting normally up until then.) I hand-fed him "turkey soup" - a
mix of Heinz Turkey, ground kibble, Sustacal, brewer's yeast and bone meal,
supplemented with FerretVite, in addition to his Amoxi, Carafate and Pepto.
He didn't lose any weight, and the problem cleared up by Labor Day.  We
figured he just didn't handle stress very well, and all of the bouncing
between homes (not to mention the dogs) probably triggered the ulcer.  I've
only seen him play with abandon a couple of times; mostly he either
"putters" or just sleeps.  He is an extremely vocal ferret - he wheezes,
bubbles, burbles, squeaks and snores in his sleep, and he screams and
chatters like a banshee whenever he feels "insulted" by another critter.
 
All of the ferrets, including Wellesley, have been treated recently for
earmites with Cerumite and Tresaderm.  The most recent dose was Sunday,
Sept. 15.
 
This Thursday morning he had a bad case of the heaves, but all he brought up
was clear frothy bile.  No other signs of nausea - no tooth grinding or
pawing at his mouth.  I gave him a dose of Carafate, and watched until he
relaxed and curled up to sleep.  I took him to Dr. Klein as soon as I got
off work.  When I got him to the clinic, he was heaving again.  Afterwards,
he seemed kind of "spaced" and was very ataxic.  Dr. K gave him a thorough
exam, and couldn't find anything obvious - so she recommended a glucose
check.
 
I know that normal fasting blood sugar should be between 90-120 mg/dl, and
that glucose levels below 60 mg/dl should be "strongly suspect" for
insulinoma.  Wellesley had been eating well (and still is, the piglet
<loving amused grin>) but his blood sugar measured only 31.5 mg/dl.
 
By the time we got home, Wellesley was acting normally again.  He hit the
water bottle, and ate well (including some "turkey soup.") I monitored him
through the night, and except for vomiting some half-digested food, he did
fairly well.  His stools are formed, but soft and sticky.  A second glucose
check Friday a.m. measured 92.8 mg/dl non-fasting, and a fasting check a
few hours later measured 50.9 mg/dl.
 
In case it's relevant to his chances of recovery, I feed my critters a
mixture of Totally Ferret, MF, Mazuri and Iams Kitten.
 
A few questions for our on-line vets...
1.  I know about avoiding sugary snacks but I need to know whether olive
    oil, raisin-flavored olive oil (not the raisin itself), FerretVite,
    FerreTone or Nutrical will cause any problems if this is insulinoma.
2.  What is the average post-diagnosis lifespan for a 4 year old N/D male,
    a) assuming we "get it all" during surgery and treatment, or b)
    supposing we are not able to get it all or it reoccurs?
3.  Is there anything besides insulinoma with these symptoms, and if so,
    what else should we look for?  (She will be checking his adrenals during
    the surgery also, just in case.)
4.  One paper that Dr. Klein has read recommends keeping the ferret NPO and
    on fluids only for 2 days post-op.  She hasn't seen any other reference
    to this, and would like to hear what other vets think.
 
Wellesley's surgery is tentatively scheduled for Monday morning, Sept. 23.
 
Many thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.  Please email me direct
so I can get this to Dr. Klein before the surgery.
 
Carla S.
Rio Grande Domestic Ferret Club
[Posted in FML issue 1698]