Hi all!!
 
Greetings and Dookutations!
 
I have a wee problem here...  I currently reside with 10 wonderful
ferrets... I love them all to death... ALL are healthy and NONE have
symptoms similar to the ones I am about to describe...
 
The one that is sick right now is Chip... he is a foster ferret... but he
is ALSO one of the family I love him as much as the others and worry as
much about his health as I do about the others... Here's some background
on him... Chip had a bilateral Adrenal Gland Removal and a partial
Pancreatecotmy in August 2000... He weighs aproximately 2 pounds, a
beautiful sable coat where there was once only bare skin... what a love!
Recently, like in the past 3 days chip became quite ill... I KNOW these
symptoms sound like insulinoma but if anyone has an alternative suggestion
PLEASE feel free to comment... I first noticed trouble when I saw chip in
his cage dry heaving... I picked him up and pet him... he struggled to get
down, ran away to hide and vomit... I got him as soon as I could get to him
and held him again... *at this point I was Dialing the vets number*... he
struggled again to get away, moved a few inches away from my feet and
vomited again (brownish foamy stuff)... then he came back and collapsed on
my feet... he was walking funny... kinda sideways, and not very far at a
time... a few steps before he would collapse and rest... getting ahold of
the vet I was told to give him some kayro syrup (to raise his sugar
level)... he seemed to pep up and he REALLY loved the syrup... mmmm mmmm
good!  but the walking funny continued... we gave him some baby food, he
was NOT eating his regular food... he would only take small ammounts but we
gave him as much as he would take every two hours until we took him to the
vets in the morning... he seemed better in the morning and his BG was 74
(a little low) we came back later and picked him up planning on keeping
his Vet appt that he had on friday... (this was wednesday)... he slept
through the night, and got his meds in the morning Pediapred .25cc and an
antibiotic for a bladder infection... .75cc... he fell asleep again and
when he woke up this time he had another vomitting attack, same funny walk
only this time he seemed to be almost FOAMING at the mouth... possibly just
vomit, but it looked like off=white colored foam... I rushed him back to
the vets office and they kept him overnight... (that was thursday,
yesterday)... the regular vet came in today and saw chip... she said that
it seemed like insulinoma but that there could be something else... I
believe her that it was an insulinomic reaction to low blood glucose... She
(thank god) is keeping him overnight to watch him for one more night...
she's sooo cool... she's taking him HOME with her... How cool is that???
=O)... They gave him Phlagel (sp??)... and upped his pred to .50cc 2Xday...
There are some other things that were happening to chip too...
 
He has had REALLY bad diahrea ever since he came to live with me... When he
sleeps he sometimes has these wierd (contractions??) movements... it seems
like the muscles in his abdomen stiffen up and he gets jerked into a ball (
I know alot of ferrets sleep in this position, its the jerky motions that
concerned me)... Chip is a totally love, he likes to cuddle with hoomins,
he loves to be near me... even if its just sprawled out on my feet... I
am not doubting ANYTHING his regular vet said... she is very capable and
I believe she is covering the bases when it comes to looking for other
problems... I just thought I would stand here on short stop so if somebody
knows of something else to look for it doesnt get by us!!  I know he's been
through alot and I just want him to enjoy life with us here... anything I
can do is worth that for me!!
 
Thanks in advance!
Dooks, Dance and ... Oh I miss my Chipper but hey... I could drive from
here to the vets blindfolded now!  =O) hehehe!
 
-Betty
[Posted in FML issue 3254]