In an earlier posting, I mentioned the GLFA Education Committee has been
requested to research diabetes in ferrets as it seems to be misdiagnosed
by Michigan owners & vets.
I'm forwarding an article by Deb Arthur that will be appearing the The
Ferret Press which leads to the request. If you can shed some light or
direct me toward resources, I'd appreciate it.
Dee
Beau, Nilla, Hershey & Finnegan
)( .. )( ..)( .. )( ..)( ..)( .. )( .. )( ..)( ..)( ..)( ..)( ..)( .. )(
)( .. )( ..)( ..)( .. )( ..)( ..)( .. )( ..)(
Diabetes?
Why should you be concerned with diabetes? After all most vets have never
seen diabetes in ferrets and they say it's extremely rare anyway.
Well folks we're here to tell you it doesn't seem to be as rare as we
thought.
We recently lost a ferret that was very near to our hearts. His name was
Jasper. We had given him to Tammy Motcheck after her Boo-Boo passed away
last year. Jaspers' ordeal ended up teaching us a lot.
Tammy took Jasper to the vet for symptoms very similar to an insulinoma.
At first glance the vet might have treated Jasper for an insulinoma and we
never would have known that he really had diabetes. In this case the vet
recommended a full blood work up and x-rays, Tammy agreed. It was a big
suprise to the vet that the information came back as diabetes. The animal
hospital this vet works for is Lansing's' main ferret hospital and yet they
had never before seen a case of diabetes. The only information in the
ferret medical books was that it was rare and the books only contained a
few paragraphs of material, enough to get started but not enough to
continue treatment.
When Debi heard this, she immediately got on the phone to anyone that might
have some current information. She did find some vets in Michigan that had
found and worked on diabetes in ferrets successfully and she conveyed this
info to Jaspers' vet. Not content that the info she had was in any way
complete, she kept the phone calls going. When she contacted veterinary
colleges outside of Michigan she found a whole different attitude. They
were suprised that we considered it so rare. They have been dealing with
it for some time now.
Anyway, Debi collected any information she could find from all around the
United States and sent it to Jaspers' vet. The information she collected
helped but it was a case of too little to late and Jasper passed away from
complications due to diabetes. I'm not sure of the technical terms but
basically the ketones (acids?) had built up enough to shut down Jaspers'
kidneys and liver.
The one recurring bit of information that arose from all of this was that
the "symptoms" of diabetes are almost the same as an insulinoma. Unless
you do blood test or at least a blood sugar test you could very well be
treating the symptoms of diabetes with medicine designed to treat
insulinomas. Unfortunately this doesn't work and the ferret passes away,
apparently from the insulinoma. If you suspect an insulinoma and or
diabetes in your ferret but can't afford a full blood work up, then at
least do a blood sugar count. The vets we have talked with say this test
only cost about ten dollars. The results of the sugar test can steer you
and your vet in the right direction of treatment.
In her conversations with veterinarians around the state of Michigan, Debi
found a wide difference of opinions. Some vets still consider it rare and
not to get exited and others caught themselves wondering if they hadn't
misdiagnosed cases in the past. This in no way reflects badly on the
veterinarians of Michigan, remember, ferrets are still relatively new here.
Other states have been treating ferrets for years uncounted. Also many
people don't want to, or can't afford, to have a full blood work up and
x-rays done. At this point our vets are stuck treating "symptoms" and they
do a wonderful job of it with very little information to go by. The main
purpose of this article is to get people thinking. Is it an insulinoma?
Is it diabetes? How do I know? The plain truth is, without some kind of
urine or blood test and x-rays, you don't know.
Why should you be concerned with diabetes? After all most vets have never
seen diabetes in ferrets and they say it's extremely rare anyway. Well
folks we're here to tell you it did happen. Jasper didn't have a fat belly
but he was dehydrated and losing muscle mass at an alarming rate. In an
attempt to get you thinking, I'll include the symptoms that Jasper showed
before his trip to the hospital.
1-He was sluggish. He responded to a nutrical/water mixture but crashed
hard when it wore off.
2-He was eating and drinking well and nothing happened.
3-During the major weather changes, every spring and every fall, shed
seasons, he would go through a depression for a couple of weeks. He had
been to the vet for this for at least two years but it never occurred
to anyone to do a blood test. He always "came out of it" after awhile.
4-His gums were pink but his nose pad was pale.
5-During his play time he would suddenly stop and "gaze at the stars",
and then resume as if nothing happened.
6-He had a very dry coat with dandruff.
While this list is in no way conclusive, it gives you the basics. It's
important to state that we are not veterinarians, just concerned folks
trying to help our vets take care of our babies. With this in mind we have
asked our Education Committee to amass as much information as possible and
compile for future use. It's also important to state that ferrets can and
do live good lives with diabetes. The insulin needles are small and the
doses are small so there is very little trauma to the ferret and not a
large expense to the owner. In ferrets this is a very "livable" disease.
Well, has this gotten you thinking? Good, We've accomplished our purpose
then.
Good luck and good health to all.
Steve & Debi Arthur.
[Posted in FML issue 3031]
|
