Hi - been a little while since I sent an update on the critters here.
 
OLIVER: This is the 5+ yr old shelter boy with insulinoma, who had a major
bladder problem last December.  He was drinking over 10oz water daily, and
not peeing; turned out to be a low grade infection that did respond to the
Baytril.  He's doing much better that way.  However, he's almost completely
incontinent now.  Apparently he can't tell when he needs to go, and also
can't tell when he's going, and this involves his stools as well as his
urine.  He'll be trucking across the floor leaving trails behind him... I'm
having to scrub his cage twice daily, & am changing his bedding almost as
frequently since he often poops in his sleep.  He gets wiped down with
baby wipes daily, and a warm water soak every couple of days to clean and
protect his skin.  There's no sign of digestive problems; his stools and
urine are normal.  We have him on 1.2 ml pediapred BID now, and it is
helping some with the ataxia, but I really hesitate to even consider
surgery with him.  All it would take is once of dragging his sutures
through his mess, and we'd have a raging infection to deal with.  Otherwise,
he's a good-natured, loveable, loving and messy klutz, with a healthy
appetite.  :-)
 
GAOTH: my personal little girl; 4 yr old, bilateral adrenalectomy, Dx'd
with insulinoma last fall.  We decided to not put her through a 3rd surgery
but to just treat medically & with diet, since she wasn't very strong.
She was up to 1ml pred BID and still losing weight, and feeling "wispy"
frail when you picked her up.  At New Year's I started her on Bob Church's
Chicken Gravy in addition to her kibble (50% TF, 50% various mixed hi-pro
kibbles in rotation), and after only 1 week her glucose had jumped up 22
points - from 46 to 68, and she had gained weight - from 1.2 lbs, to 1.3
lbs.  Gaoth has been on the Gravy for 6 weeks now, and I had her rechecked
this morning.  Her weight is now up to 1.49 lbs, and her glucose measured
at *** 91.3 *** !!!  Dr. Klein just gave me this funny look and said, "I
think I'm becoming a believer in this Gravy...."  We know it's not a cure,
by any means, but it's helping Gaoth to feel better and enjoy life, and
that's worth a great deal.  (It's even worth burning up a blender every
couple of months making that blasted recipe LOL)
 
We didn't check Bandit's glucose today (he's also on the Gravy) but he's
showing similar improvements in his weight and activity levels.
 
Carla Smith
WhyNot? Ferrets
www.whynotferrets.com
ICQ: 29478475
[Posted in FML issue 2588]