My 7-year-old DEW Alfalfa has had insulinoma for almost a year now.  He's
on pred and proglycem twice daily, plus Pepcid AC to soothe his tummy.  He
has his off days, and isn't as energetic as he used to be, but he's doing
OK, all things considered.  He still runs around the house and terrorizes
Sebastian, my cat, when he finds him on the floor (luckily for Sebastian,
ferrets can't jump very high!)
 
I had a big scare with Al just last weekend.  I woke up at 6 AM Saturday
and found Al lying on his side on the bottom of the cage.  I thought he
was gone.  I reached in and picked up a warm, limp body, thinking "oh God,
no!" Then he moved and opened his little black eyes!  Whew!  He was having
a hypoglycemic episode.  I got some Nutrical into him, and when he came
around a little I got him to eat a few peices of kibble.  Kept a close
eye on him for the next 48 hours, but he seems to be fine.  I had given
him his meds about three hours earlier than ususal on Friday night, so I
wondered if that may have caused a problem for him.
 
Al has had more than his share of ailments.  He had his left adrenal
removed when he was about three, he had his spleen with a large tumor
attached removed in his fifth year, and had his teeth scraped at the same
time to alleviate his gingivitis (none of the rest of my six have had
tooth problems).  Last summer he became severely anemic for unknown
reasons and has been receiving Procrit injections for that, which have
gotten his blood count back to normal.  Just two weeks ago Al went back to
the vet for another follow-up blood test, and during a routine palpation
of his abdomen the vet found a new tumor in the mesenteric tissue, which
he said is inoperable.  On top of that, Al is exhibiting signs of another
adrenal tumor.  My vet said we could try chemo for the new tumor, but he
didn't recommend it.  He said it might buy Al another six months, but the
unpleasantness of the additional medication might make his remaining time
less enjoyable.
 
Despite everything, Al is a happy little guy.  His appetite is good and
his weight remains steady (which surprises my vet), and his output is
normal.  I offer kibble to Al out of my hand several times a day, like a
treat, just to make sure he continues to get as much protein as possible.
We just continue to take each day as it comes, and try to enjoy the time
left to us.
 
Nancy and critters
[Posted in FML issue 3756]