Insulinoma - Years ago I had a father and daughters that had Insulinoma.
Actually, I was the first person in our town to take the ferrets in for
treatment.  Mary Van Dahm of FAIR had written up a wonderful recipe which at
the time I altered for the taste of my ferrets.  I do have a packet of info
on Insulinoma if anyone is interested which contains Mary's recipe.  Email
me with your street mailing address and I'll drop it in the mail.
 
Nikki was dad and he was the first one to show symptoms.  He would paw at
his mouth and drool.  The vet ran several hundred dollars worth of tests
before the simple inexpensive blood glucose test ($10 at that time).  I knew
about Pred and Proglycem but the vet didn't want to try Proglycem because it
was not commonly used on ferrets.  I agreed to try the Pred if surgery
wasn't successful and it wasn't.  Poor Nikki.  He had so many seizures, 3-4
a week.  I remember the fear that I'd find him in the death throes of a
seizure.  Because the Pred wasn't helping and Nikki was still seizing
frequently we opted for surgery again a year later.  This surgery was also
unsuccessful.  The strangest thing happened though.  Nikki had 1 month of
wellness, he played and didn't have seizures.  Then one night when I got
home he didn't come out and I went looking for him.  I found his cold little
body under the couch on the sheet hammock I'd made and attached to the
bottom for them (this was the old type laydown couch similar to our futon
but had a solid bottom) in a coma.  I warmed him and gave him his 3 cc's of
karo syrup and called the vet.  She said there really wasn't anything more
they could do for him and that he was not in any pain.  I was told to watch
him that night and bring him in the next morning.  In the morning Nikki was
still in a coma and had latched onto a sock that I could not remove.  I took
him to the vet with a heavy heart.  The vet took one look and said "It is
time".  I cried for hours and days.  Nikki was only 5 years old.
 
Whitney, Nikki's daughter, also was diagnosed with Insulinoma at the age of
5.  With Whitney I insisted on Proglycem along with the Pred.  No surgery
for her.  It took 3 months to get her stabilized with the Proglycem but once
I had the dosage correct (the vet started me and said to adjust it as
needed) she did fine.  I created a recipe that she loved and it was the only
thing she ate for her remaining two years.
 
Teddy Bear, Nikki's daughter and Whitney's sister, also had Insulinoma.
Teddy's was controlled by diet only, no medication.  It was her diseased
heart that killed her at the age of 8+.
 
What I've learned (Vets jump in anytime) - I learned that we need blood
sugar for our brain to survive and function properly.  When we don't have
adequate amounts we see the symptoms the ferrets exhibit, pawing at the
mouth (this can be from other illnesses or food caught too so don't panic
here), drooling, gazing off, hind end weakness, drunken walking, seizures
and ultimately when left untreated - coma and death.  A simple blood glucose
test should be done twice, at least 3 weeks apart.  The Insulinoma secretes
excess insulin which eats up the blood sugar before it reaches our brain.
Insulinomas are normally found in the pancreas and they are so tiny, about
the size of a pinhead I'm told, they are often times difficult to find by an
inexperienced vet.  Many times even when the Insulinomas are surgically
removed there are more later.  Prednisone causes more secretion of glucose
and Proglycem (diazoxide) is an insulin blocking agent.  Brewers yeast is
thought to be beneficial in that it is a good source of Chromium which is
important for normal sugar and fat metabolism.  A high protein diet and
frequent meals are especially helpful.  What works for one ferret may or may
not work for another.
 
Hugs to all.  tle
[Posted in FML issue 1683]