I am responding to the request for information on ferrets and surgery.
While Linguini does not have insulinoma, she has been diagnosed with
Eosinophilic Granulomatous (EGE) -- a very difficult disease to treat
with unknown etiology.

I'd like to share my experience with you in the hopes that it might
somehow assist. I can tell you, having worked in palliative care -
the will to live is powerful. Linguini is not as old as your little
guy, she is 4. She underwent exploratory surgery in August because
the veterinarian wasn't certain what was at the root of some of the
problems she was having i.e., lethargy, intermittent diarrhea and lots
of teeth grinding. Helicobacter was initially suspected but she didn't
get better with treatment. An obstruction was suspected and ruled out
because her symptoms didn't present as typical and I had been diligent
about giving her hairball remedy. He felt if it was an obstruction
there must be another underlying condition that was affecting her
gastrointestinal system. I asked him if it could possibly be EGE (I
had done extensive research). He said it was a very rare condition in
ferrets but the only way to know for certain was to do exploratory
surgery and take biopsies. So I opted for surgery since she was clearly
in pain.

I remember the call I received from the OR, the vet was actually in
the process of doing the surgery when he called to let me know that he
had found a hairball blocking the exit from her stomach. He said there
was a lot of inflammation but no open ulcer. He took stomach, liver,
intestine and a lymph node biopsies. I hung up the phone feeling relief
and apprehension.

While Linguini was still in recovery the vet called to say that she had
sailed through the surgery but he was concerned because she was showing
extensive bruising, beyond what would be normally expected. We decided
it would be best to keep her at the clinic on IV for a few days.

I left work early and rushed over to see her. She was still hooked up
to the IV and half her body, from the shoulders down to her tail was a
solid swath of deep burgundy. I gently put her on my lap in a towel.
She was still groggy and weak from the surgery but started scuffing
around in the towel, pushing it aside until she was as close as
possible to me and then she curled up and slept in my lap for 3 1/2
hours.

Now this is the part that may be of interest to you. I consulted with
a homeopathic veterinarian because I had positive experience using
homeopathy with other pets. So I gave her a homeopathic remedy via an
eye dropper, as she snuggled in my lap and literally within minutes
the angry solid color started breaking up. I continued the remedy for
several days because she was responding so well. Within 5 days of the
surgery, all discoloration and swelling had disappeared miraculously.

She's had to undergo another surgery a couple of weeks ago because
she was starting to develop hernias around the incision site. The vet
thought that the initial inflammation and bruising might have weakened
the internal sutures. Her recovery from this last surgery has been a
bit slower, but she has bounced back. As before, I administered a
homeopathic remedy.

I believe there is value in using homeopathic remedies, especially in
difficult to treat conditions. They do no harm and can do a great deal
of good. I would suggest consulting with a homeopathic veterinarian
in your area as an adjunct to, not a substitute for conventional
veterinary care. She is still with me and showing no signs of EGE,
although the biopsies confirmed the diagnosis.

Costs to date -$4000.00+. Is she happy to be alive? I believe so.
Does she experience good quality of life? Absolutely!

Tressie A. Dutchyn, MA ID PhD student
Dalhousie University Research Associate
Atlantic Interdisciplinary Research Network for Social & Behavioral
Issues in Hepatitis C & HIV/AIDS Department of Community Health &
Epidemiology Dalhousie University, Faculty of Medicine

[Posted in FML 5758]