Michele wrote:
>Well as I type this its been a very long day for us here..I have been
>without sleep for over 24 hours due to some very scary and strange symptoms
>with my ferret..Please excuse any typos because I am overtired but really
>want some input here as if this has ever happened to anyone..  I will start
>by saying my ferret named Bandit age aprox. 6-years old,he was fine
>Saturday night until his moans woke me out of bed at 2am..he was breathing
>very strange...his mouth was open and he was drooling..He seems very warm
>and was listless..I took him out of the cage and examined him closer..He
>was not doing anything but drooling and his breathing was labored.....
>it was by then 5am and he took it...I wiped my eyes
>gave him more and he seemed to be breathing better...he had periods where
>he was breathing fine then it became labored again...I fell asleep at 5am
>after I saw he looked better..  I woke up at 7am to find him drinking
>water on his own from the water bottle I had in a cage that's used for
>when I have to clean their cage up fast before work..so I left towels and
>a soft blanket in there along with a fresh water bottle and some fresh
>food.  and let Bandit stay there so the other ferrets wouldn't bother him
>..He looked at me,and was no longer drooling at 7am .
 
Michele
 
First off, I'm not a vet - just a shelter operator.  Your Bandit is most
likely suffering from Insulinoma - and the late night episode that you
described is what happens when his blood sugar dropped to a critical
level....If you see him exhibiting these symptoms again, try rubbing some
Karo syrup or honey on his gums.  I would definitely recommend getting
Bandit to the vet for the first possible appointment that you can get -
a simple blood glucose test should confirm or deny whether or not he is
having trouble regulating his blood sugar.  Normal ferret blood sugar
readings are between 90 and 120.
 
I would hesitate to offer a ferret water when in a seizure - they don't
have good motor controls at this point, and he could possibly aspirate the
water.  Keeping him warm and isolated from the other ferrets does help -
they could inadvertently injure him while in a seizure...
 
Insulinoma is a chronic condition - it can be treated surgically by
removing part of the pancreas, or medically with prednisone.  I prefer
to do the surgery first, and medication after.
 
I hope that Bandit is doing much better.  Get him to the vet, and have them
check his blood sugar - it might not be insulinoma, and a blood test can
tell you that too, sometimes.  Good luck to you and Bandit.
 
Lisa, Head Ferret
The Ferret Haven "By-the-Sea"
URL: http: www.kozykingdom.com/ferrethaven
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[Posted in FML issue 2847]