Always important to remember that in some ferrets there can be runs like
look all the world like butterscotch pudding (Had to be my favorite...)
that insulinoma itself can cause.  Can indicate a need for reassessing the
treatment; we've found it actually useful that way in past if consistent
enough.
 
Meeteetse is more comfy today so the good times and bad have a better
balance.  It won't be long, of course.  When this doesn't work anymore to
reduce her lympho pain then she'll have to be helped across.  Sure glad
that vets know so much more than we do, even when it just gives a day or a
week in which to say goodbye better.  Ferrets are so worth it, aren't they?
 
There's a the problem that so many call just about anything "flu".
Influenza is primarily a respiratory disease, though it may have other
secondary symptoms in other bodily systems.  It is viral but it also
possible to get secondary bacterial infections.  Ferrets have an especially
hard time with such secondary infections, and that's really bad when they
are in the lungs where they can kill.  Antibiotics are often given to try
to stave off a potentially fatal secondary bacterial infection when there
is enough of a respiratory disease.  Ferrets do contract influenza; in
fact, they are used to create the flu vaccines, and there are people here
on the FML who have adopted such ferrets when their work in that regard was
done.  (Whether such safe and loving ferrets are adopted out depends on the
pharmaceutical company; I wish it were universal.  It's like the one used
to teach how to intubate premature infants.  Some places adopt them out to
loving homes afterward.  The rest should.)
 
Becca wrote:
>Knowledge is power.  You can learn to prevent and slow the spread of this
>disease so that a treatment, or vaccine even is found.  It could happen to
>you... but you can help prevent it from happening on some levels.  With
>these sites and info you can put them on your sites, you can email them or
>give them to your Vet..whom I hate to say probably knows very little about
>it if anything at all, or make donations...
>http://www.geocities.com/wolfysluv/
 
YES!  Newcomers don't realize how very recent ALMOST ALL of the medical
info on ferrets is.  It's exists because research was done by loving vets
with financial help from loving ferret people.  If you just knew the
commitment in work and money that ferret people have already put into the
10 year old series of advances which made ferret-saving changes the the
Compendium of Animal Rabies possible, that fewer than 15 year ago no one
had ever tried chemo on a ferrets, that there was still a large anesthesia
death rate ill make a dozen years ago, that it wasn't understood till maybe
10 years ago that ferrets have a hyperestrogenism with adrenal neoplasias
rather than Cushings, that surgeries for insulinoma or adrenal growths were
rare till just recently, that more and more is being learned all the time.
These take more than just words of care; they take monetary investment in
the future to save ferrets, including your own no matter who you are.
 
On that note: DO look into the places putting effort into finding answers
for ADV and give -- even if it's only a dollar.  We did even though we're
having to extra carefully watch funds this year ($50, which won't go far,
but does make a difference since every single bit helps).
 
Also, there is a breeding project being sponsored this year by the Morris
Animal Foundation which is aimed at helping the BFF project but is being
done with domestic ferrets so will help them as well.  It' is trying to
reduce some pregnancy problems.  The work is project number 99zo-26 by
Jeffery Kidder at Rutgers, with $14,500 going from MAF to help that work.
Now, we don't breed but we might well at some time be joined by a kit who
was saved by this work, or might have a retired breeder who was saved by
it come into our family.  It is worth the money we put in the last years,
just as the other health projects have been.
 
When you give to projects like the ADV ones there is an excellent chance
that at least one of the ferrets you save is one with whom YOU will be
sharing cuddles and kisses in the future.  When it is said that the ferret
you save may be your own; believe it.  We do, and we've often seen lives
saved because enough people cared enough soon enough.  EVERY ferret we
have seen here who was helped by adrenal or insulinoma surgery or meds was
helped by an earlier donor of funds to advance research, every one who has
had more comfy time with cardiomyopathy was helped, every one who didn't
have to risk losing a ferret because it nipped or scratched someone, every
one, every one, EVERYONE.  That is true for so many disease now.  ALL OF
YOU here have been helped by past donations; now YOU ALSO get the chance
to help prevent an awful future if you will just take advantage of this
opportunity.
 
Want to hear something good?  Zupreem gave a very large donation to MAF
last year according to the Annual Report.  If they gave to help ferrets as
did other FML members; can't you?  Even just a dollar?  (I know there are
some who truly can't , but if that even is 50 people here then one dollar
form each of the rest would add up to over $3,000 of help for ferrets.)
Love is in giving.
[Posted in FML issue 3211]