Howdy from Eden in seattle,
My Lemke has been diagnosed with insulinomas.  I feel stupid for not seeing
it myself, but his weight and energy level went down so gradually, that it
was only when he had a foaming at the mouth episode recently that we knew
for sure there was something more serious going on than just another flu.
(he's very susceptible to them)
 
Our vet over the last year has consistently ignored my concerns about his
weight loss, and when he brushed off the foaming episode, I knew it was time
to change vets.  I'm very happy to have relocated the wonderful vet who used
to take care of our last ferret Gracie.  Dr Bishop relocated sometime
between Gracies death & our adoption of the boys so we had been seeng this
new vet instead, but once we decided to change we made the effort to track
her back down.  What a difference the right vet can make!  she knew what was
wrong within minutes, and confirmed it with a blood test of course.  (and
the boys like her better too because she's such a loving gentle person)
 
Anyway, back to the health issue: because Lem's weight is down we've got him
on pediapred (prednisone) for now while we try & bulk him back up before
doing surgery.  In addition we give him a daily soup of powdered TF, a
garlic/brewers yeast cat pill & 1/4 of a cat vitamin supplement with a drop
of ferretone to help make it smell good.  Boy does he love it (misha too!)
and now that we know what's going on & are helping to regulate his blood
sugar levels Lemke's energy level is already back up, he's been chasing
Misha all over the house, it's great!
 
Any suggestions for soup additions that will help him bulk back up
gratefully accepted, I want my boy strong & healthy before he has to undergo
surgery!  I'm also a little concerned because Lem is more susceptible than
the average to colds & flus, and Prednisone is an immonosuppressant when
given in sufficient quantity.  (though Dr Bishop is well aware of that &
regulating his dosage accordingly) I've read & reread the FAQ of course, as
well as the ferret books in my collection, but if there's something besides
tha garlic/brewers yeast that can help his immune system, or something more
I can be doing I'd like to hear about it.
 
I know that we've caught this & are doing what's reasonable to control it,
but it's always scary when there's something wrong with your baby...
 
Eden and her 3 guys: Misha, Lemke & Bill (the human one)
 
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[Posted in FML issue 2103]