Fasting times sometimes vary depending on the condition of the ferret.

For example, if the ferret can not pass thing readily from the stomach
a longer fasting time is needed to avoid regurgitation with the risk of
aspiration pneumonia

BUT

if the ferret has insulinoma or certain other pancreatic problems then
a shorter time is needed to avoid starving the brain of sugars, usually
not more than 4 hours, sometimes fewer.

If both are present then the shorter fast is done, the ferret is
sometimes made groggy (if inclined to pull out IVs) and I IV is placed
and then the fast is extended while the blood sugar levels are kept
safe by the IV.

Sometimes they occur coincidentally, but also a large stuck object
in the stomach can cause liver inflammation and sometimes pancreatic
inflammation -- something we learned a lot about because of a ferret
we had with multiple deformities, including of the stomach and small
intestine, who was given to us by the breeder to avoid destruction. He
could not pass things well, even normal things due to his problems and
meds to help with stomach contractions could not be used because the
condition also left his stomach and small intestine too friable, so he
needed four difficult stomach surgeries and two surgeries to correct a
deformed paw with complicated syndactyly. With a lot of hard work and
expense (and often sleeping in shifts as needed) Steve and I got him 6
good years of life, though, the same amount we were able to get another
one with a larger numbers of serious deformations and handicaps.

Clarification on what you read: it is not that a fast messes up blood
glucose tests, but that any fast and length of it are among the things
which need to be known to correct evaluate the data. In some borderline
ferrets a fasting glucose test is still needed.

One thing to take info account: if you heard the fasting time from a
hospital employee rather than the vet directly then the wrong time may
be being given to you since some hospitals automatically give out the
standard dog and cat timing. Should that be what happened, call the
hospital and leave a message for a call-back at the vet's convenience
with your question and permission to leave the info on your answering
machine if that is okay with you.

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html

[Posted in FML 5651]