Hi all:
Just got done reading Cheryl Freedman's post from yesterday about trusting
your vet's opinion on matters of medicine.  She is correct, but *ONLY* if
you know that your vet knows what he/she is talking about.  Far too many
times, the vet does NOT know and this can cause big, big problems.  (Cheryl:
this isn't a slam on your post!  Your post was excellent...I just waned to
bring up a warning...)
 
Take for example the case of Fidgit.  Some of you out there have donated
money for Fidgit, the ferret with Insulinoma whose owners can't afford
surgery for him.  For this, I thank you sincerely for your selfless giving
of yourselves for a ferret that you've never met, and the letters that you
wrote are beautiful.  Here is an update on what is happening.
 
The veterinarian who examined Fidgit and diagnosed him with Insulinoma has
told the owners that he didn't recommend surgery for him.  He prescribed
Pedia Pred and said that was the most that could be done.  This distresses
me very much because I do NOT agree with this diagnosis.
 
Now I am not a veterinarian, and I probably know less about ferret medicine
than many shelter owners.  However, I do know that in some ferrets, surgery
for insulinoma can be quite effective, depending on the progression of the
disease, the age of the ferret, and the health of the ferret.
 
These are the facts about Fidgit: he is no older than 5.  He was found
running loose and his original owners were never found, so we had estimated
his age when he arrived at the shelter.  He may be younger than 5.  The only
symptom that he has manifested indicating insulinoma was one very mild
seizure, and this was some time ago and has not had incidence since.  His
weight is good, if anything he is gaining weight but most likely he is
holding weight steady.  He is active and in otherwise good health.  He is
eating, drinking, and depositing normally.
 
I do not recall what the blood sugar level was; this information I will try
to ascertain, but in my recollection it was not dangerously low, but low
enough to diagnose insulinoma.
 
From these facts, I do not understand why this veterinarian gave Fidgit no
hope.  However, this is where the situation gets worse.  Fidgit's owners
place a great deal of faith in this veterinarian and are tending to believe
his opinion over mine, because he is a vet and I'm not.  I don't blame them;
on one hand they've got an overly involved and emotional shelter mom saying
"cut him open and risk his life", on the other they've got an impartial man
who's spent years learining animal medicine.  It's the trust factor.
 
So this is my point here guys.  Make sure that your veterinarian is
experienced in ferret medicine before placing all of your trust into him or
her.  Many vets are excellent with cats and dogs, and have an interest in
treating ferrets but lack up to date knowledge.  New information about
ferret disease and medicine is being discovered at all times; vets who took
one course on "exotic medicine" in vet school probably don't have the
knowledge you want to base your trust in.
 
A few things that you can do in selecting a good ferret vet are as follows:
 
-Get recommendations from your local shelter or from a fellow ferret owner
 
-Call the animal hospital and ask how many ferrets the vets have treated,
 how many surgeries have been performed and for what, the outcomes, etc.
 
-Ask the vet some basic questions that you know the answers to, such as how
 old do ferrets live to be, what kind of vaccines do they need, what annual
 tests if any do they need, and what kind of pets do ferrets make.  Listen
 well to their answers.  For instance, if the vet tells you that ferrets are
 "fad pets that tend to bite and smell," Go Elsewhere!
 
-Go in for a simple checkup before your ferret is ill and decide for
 yourself how the vet seems to handle your ferret.  If the vet tends to be
 uncomfortable with your ferret, he/she probably isn't the vet for you.
 
-Check the STAR Ferrets Database of veterinarians to see if a vet is listed
 in your area.  While there are no checks performed by STAR on these vets,
 to be on the list they have at least at some time subscribed to the STAR
 newsletter, which is a good sign.
 (http://www.optics.rochester.edu:8080/users/pgreene/for-others/database.html)
 
As for Fidgit, here is what I'm working on now.  With the money that has
been donated so far (which is not enough for surgery, anyway) I am trying to
convince Fidgit's owners to go to an excellent vet for a "second opinion." I
am hoping that once his owners hear a different opinion, they may begin to
doubt what their vet told them.  I will keep you all posted, and if surgery
is elected, we may be in need of additional donations.  But at this point
all I am concerned with is getting an accurate diagnosis, and if I have to
start selling personal belongings, I hope that Fidgie will have the surgery
that I believe in my heart he will greatly benefit from. Thank you all again
for the donations that have been received thus far.  You are all angels.
 
Kymberlie Becker
Director, Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association
"Forget Puppy Love...There's nothing Greater than Ferret Love!" TM
http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/ferretlady
 
[Moderator's note: I think for a vet to be listed in the STAR* list someone
has to recommend the vet, but the vet doesn't have to actually subscribe to
the newsletter.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 2061]