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From:
Sukie Crandall <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 16 Nov 2003 11:41:17 -0500
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http://www.smartgroups.com/message/readmessage.cfm?
gid=1423922&messageid=6649&startid=6653
 
Interesting question about the cause of your ferret's diabetes and wether
it is insulin dependent DM or non-insulin dependent DM.
 
First how can adrenal gland disease cause diabetes?
 
1) If it is overproducing cortisol (~5% will) then the cortisol can cause
   diabetes.
2) If it is overproducing progestogens (~55% will) then the progestogen
   can cause diabetes.
3) If the ferret is obese then the excessive fat can cause diabetes.
 
How to read the insulin concentration test?
 
1) In cats with non-insulin dependent DM, the insulin concentration is
   usually low, so insulin concentration is not used.
2) The test has to be validated for the species being tested.  The human
   RIA test is not accurate in cats.
3) The only lab that I know of that offers a ferret insulin is the
   University of Tenn., and it is only rarely used in insulinoma cases.
4) Unfortunately the suppressive effects of elevated glucose on beta cell
   function (called glucose toxicity) will often cause low serum insulin
   concentrations in animals with non-insulin dependent DM.
 
Since very little work has been done with ferret insulin and diabetes,
no one knows how to interpret the insulin test except to say ferrets are
likely to be close to cats (see 1, 2 and 4).
 
Hope that helps,
Jerry Murray, DVM
 
[Also see pancreatic routes to diabetes such as those connected to
insulinoma in past posts of Dr. Jerry Murray and Dr. Bruce Williams in
http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org .]
[Posted in FML issue 4334]

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