>My 6yr old ferret has recently been diagnosed with insulinoma on top of
>her adrenal tumors as well.  She is on pedia-pred, proglycem, and
>recently, on lasix for abdominal swelling.  Does timmys tonic work for
>insulinoma?  If so, what variation of it?  What about timmys duck soup
>recipes?  I am desperate at this point, as she has already crashed on us
>twice.
 
Hold off on the Timmy's Tonic.  None of the diseases you mention cause
ascites (the abdominal fluid) or require Lasix.  The most common causes
of that in ferrets are cardiomyopathy (usually dilative but they can get
the harder to find hypertrophic form), liver disease, or kidney disease.
These can be very, very serious problems and Timmy's Tonic is not a good
thing to give with at least two of them (three if there is alcohol but I
haven't looked closely at ingredients in some time), if it still contains
true licorice, gingseng, or something else -- forget what off-hand but
have a vague recollection of three things in it that are counter-indicated
by possible circulatory disease.  True licorice is a really, really,
really HUGE no-no for that.  It seems to provide energy which is why it
traditionally was used for heart troubles but the routes it takes to
provide that short lift are ones which cause further damage and can even
lead to throwing clots.  Ferrets don't get true strokes but they can throw
clots and sometimes those go to the brain and these thromboses are what
folks usually term "strokes" in ferrets.  Circulatory disease and kidney
disease are large causes of doing so, and I can tell you that the chances
of worsening them in this fashion is something to avoid.  Any medicine of
any type has some things that counter-indicate its use: certain medical
conditions, individual sensitivities or characteristics, etc.
 
What tests have been done so far to explain the ascites?  Chest x-ray,
chest ultrasound, and blood tests for liver and for kidneys are good ways
to start.
 
Sorry, but I think there is something else going on, too.  There ARE
approaches to help.
 
You'll want to read up in the archives (using search engine) at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-List
and
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc
and look at links at
http:geocities.com/sukielist .
 
Ferret with bladder control problems: get a vet check.  There are multiple
possible causes of such difficulties and vet care is the logical first
step.  One of the more common reasons is from problems secondary to
adrenal disease.  If he stops urinating get to the vet immediately for an
emergency visit --do NOT wait, but hopefully the cause will be found and
treated before then.  Time to make an appointment for a visit very soon.
 
Sukie (Not a vet)
[Posted in FML issue 3759]