> was insulinoma.  The vet confirmed my beliefs.  He did the blood
>sugar... He said he was surprised he hadnt seizured.  He has him on
>prednisone and something that sounds like diozide...
 
know how long thier babies have lived with this cancer.
 
First off, "cancer" is questionable term to use here.  Insulinoma almost
never metastasizes so it's not something that is considered clearly
malignant.  Best to avoid the term "cancer" for insulinoma and for the
majority of adrenal growths, too.  If you go the Ferret Health List
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list/ and use the search
engine or if you search for a golden oldie in the FML archives (See FML
header for address.) you will see a Bruce William's post that I carried
to the FML which discusses definitions of what is or isn't cancer.
 
You are thinking of Diazoxide (spelling from memory) which is the same
thing as Proglycem.  Pred and Proglycem are great meds for insulinoma.
Do expect dose levels to change with need.  If a ferret is in good shape,
though, it makes sense to first go with surgery.  If you go to
http://geocities.com/sukieslist
you will find many links with useful info and accurate average comparative
survival ages for several treatments, esp.  at the Bradley Hills and
ferretdoctor links, and info on a new approach at the Weare set of links.
 
Catarina, Try grinding the foods he likes best and mixing that powder in
the mixed batches and he should try more of the new foods because they
will have a coating of the old ones.  Also, sounds like it may be time
to try to trick him into being jealous of anyone he thinks is getting the
new foods.  Some of them are just so hard to get to eat new things...
 
Maybe it's because I have recently tackled enough things that are serious,
but I just don't find the minor annoyances of waiting 6 months for "Modern
Ferret" to get back on their feet, or the year waiting for the "AFR" (also
usually an excellent publication in content and accuracy) to start up
again to be anything major.  Sure, it can be frustrating, but for goodness
sakes, frustration is what you make of it.  The subscriptions will be
filled at a later date.  Want to get angry about something?  Be annoyed
that the "lifetime" guaranty a store says it gives its tools are really
for a projected lifetime of 1 year and that our expensive torque wench
was only used for three seasonal tire changes and gave out.  Okay, don't
be annoyed about that even though we are a bit (though we aren't
over-board about it since we just will stop buying anything from S#@%s for
years to come and warning friends.  Bill didn't remove letters in name,
BTW; I did.), but do use it as a way to see that perceptions differ.
Okay?
 
>cannot produce a magazine by just turning it over to interns.  Certainly
>not one of the high production caliber of Modern Ferret.
 
True.  There are already too many publications which have a large amount
of their content supplied and edited by people who are NOT ferret people,
and over the years that has led to so many warnings having to be issued
when unsafe things were recommended in those other publications.  I
prefer accuracy and both "Modern Ferret" and "AFR" provide that.  From my
viewpoint it's far better to have to wait a bit for something that is
accurate than have to either jump to correct a medical problem caused by
following a wrong bit of advice.  I'd love to have BOTH accuracy and
reliable schedules but the reality of ferret publications has so often
been either/or through the years.  If we lose accurate competition through
damage to the accurate ones like "AFR" and "Modern Ferret" then how long
do you think it will take the others to go entirely back to non-ferret
people supplying the bulk of their content, and how many ferrets will that
once again hurt?
 
Know what I'd eventually like?  A: an ACCURATE internet ferret magazine
(nothing to recycle, could print out what I want to to keep, and would
save printing and postage costs!)  Don't care who does it as long as it
is accurate, and written and edited by ferret-knowledgeable people (since
the alternative has historically been the largest cause of inaccuracy).
 
**Okay, PUBLIC SURVEY:rather than the griping going on how about if folks
post to the FML what features they would like in dream internet ferret
magazine?  I'd like to have back e-issues available by search engine, and
to have several articles each week rather than all at once.  HOW ABOUT
YOU?!?** (Heck, to reduce costs the non-internet mags could offer an
internet only option then they'd also have fewer to print and ship -- as
long as the numbers didn't get below a level where printing each issue
would cost too much more per copy for non-connected folks.)
 
Sukie
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-List
http://geocities.com/sukieslist
[Posted in FML issue 3735]