Has anyone had any experience with kidney failure in their ferrets or know
any information?
 
My Sturmie began to lose weight and became weak 3 days ago.  It got worse
the second day and I took him into the vet on Wednesday morning.  He was
concerned with his temperature of 99.01, the lack of eating, Sturmie being
dehydrated and the diarrhea Sturmie was experiencing.  I left him at the
vet per his orders.
 
They took blood from him and sent some out for a full blood panel.  He
X-ray'd for blockage and found none.  They started on anti-diarrhea
medicine that as of yesterday afternoon was not working.  They also
started him on fluids.
 
He called me yesterday at 4:00 saying they had sent the blood panel out,
that he could not do tests on the urine because Sturmie had none.  They
were giving him fluids are regular intevals, and wanted to keep him
overnight until the blood panel came back.
 
When I called this morning, I was informed by the nurse that he was
perkier, that they were still giving him fluids.  However, his initial
blood results indicated kidney failure.  They were holding off on telling
me anything on it until his blood panel comes back.  They are looking for
Insulinoma, and I was told by the doctor that does the lab work that
treating him for kidney failure was one thing, and treating him for both
was an extreme other.  She also said that sometimes kidney failure was
reversable.
 
I called back at 4:30 and the doctor was busy.  She called back to say
that the tests were still pending, and that they wouldn't get them until
tomorrow morning.  It seems to be taking an awfully long time for this!
What does a full blood panel actually look for besides Insulinoma?
 
Add all of this to the fact that he is not even 3 years old yet.  He was
"fine" last week, playing, eating, happy and then it just hit.  I am very
ill myself and was afraid I had given him the flu.  I never expected this.
It is killing me to wait in limbo.  I haven't seen him for 2 days and the
weather is supposed to be so crappy tomorrow that driving will be
hazardous.  I couldn't find anything on kidney disease on the `net.
 
This is just killing me.  He's my boy...my big, sweet boy that gives me
kisses when I kiss his armpits.  I keep begging anything that will listen
to just let him be okay, to make me the one sick.  I would take anything to
make him better.  I keep looking for him when I put the others in the cage
and realize it looks so empty because he's not here.  I have this huge,
painful ache that I could have done something more, should have seen
something else.  I just want him back.
[Posted in FML issue 2550]