Part 2
 
INSULINOMA - Pancreatic Insulin Secreting Tumor
 
We have gone through 11 successful surgeries including two ferrets having
the surgery twice.  Surgery isn't necessarily a cure but the kids are now
enjoying life much more and their quality of life has improved dramatically.
 
- Staring into space with a blank look
- Excessive drooling
- Very low body temperatures
- Lack of coordination (the drunken staggers)
- Pawing at the roof of the mouth
- Falling over and twitching
- General or hind leg weakness
- Seizures
- Gagging
- Lethargy
 
Incredibly scary to watch but easier to handle with time and experience.
Prior to surgery, on the advice of our wonderful vet, whenever one of our
ferrets had an attack I would force feed them 0.5cc of Kayro syrup from a
syringe and, as soon as they were able to eat on their own, I gave them a
bowl of Hill's A/D canned food (available through veterinarians).
 
If the episode included loss of body heat, I would hold the ferret in my lap
wrapped in a towel over a hot water bottle or heating pad.  The episodes
lasted from 5 minutes to 1 hour.
 
It is crucial to bring the ferret out of the attack as soon as possible to
prevent brain damage and keep them warm as their temperature can drop
dangerously low.
 
Some of the non-surgical treatment methods are Prednisone (in liquid or pill
form) or Diazoxide to control the blood sugar levels. This appeared to be a
stop-gap measure.
 
Although waiting through surgery was incredibly nerve wracking, they all
made it with flying colors and were bopping around within days.  One of our
boys was as close to dying as possible when the surgery was performed
(twice) and his recovery was the fastest.
[Posted in FML issue 1593]