It's good that the vet found out how to treat, but it's best if such
treatment is done immediately.
 
Has your vet thought of stocking the new Merial distemper Purevax for
ferrets?  While reactions can still happen (as with anything) the rates
of reactions that vets have been reporting is way lower -- dramatically
safer.  We won't go with either Fervac or Galaxy anymore now that there
is the safer option.
 
I know that anaphylactic reactions look scary and, yes, they are fatal
without treatment.  We've had some ferrets do it, Steve does it,
relatives of both sides do it, and I do it.  (In fact, Steve and I
were advised about 23 years ago to never have children due to the risk
they'd have with both of us doing this as well as due to a tropical
neuromuscular disease I had way back then from some jungle work.)  Usually
it's worse to witness than to experience even though it can be fatal.  I
had one again about a week ago and I am no worse for the wear, but they
knew what to do fast for me so we caught it as soon as I couldn't swallow
and a little before my lungs began to be compromised.  As you can see,
I'm still here; in fact I was answering some health posts about 12 hours
afterward.  (I don't risk that any sooner because I know that I get
weirder than normal after those meds.)
 
>Normally, insulinoma symptoms return within a year of an insulinoma
>surgery.
 
Close, but no cigar ( ;-) ).  True if the surgery is not done early, but
according to Veterinary Pathologist, Dr. Bruce Williams, if a case is
caught early there is a 60% chance that insulinoma will NOT come again.
 
We've got a tricky one right now: Sevie.  Been treating her for 3 months
for her Level Three A/V Heart Node Block (Level Three is also called
Complete and that is what it is.) which is a very rare complication to
hypoglycemia.  She was actually borderline and had surgery rapidly but
the heart problem began anyway with her almost being lost on the table.
If the surgery hadn't been completed we'd have been in the spot 3 months
ago that we are in now due to her low grade insulinoma returning.  Her
body just doesn't tolerate any low blood sugar,so now she has begun meds
for that after today's BG and EKG (ECG) testing.  She's a darling and she
is happy (except for getting her meds and tests), kissy, and luckily the
condition doesn't cause any pain for her at all even though her heart
makes her terminal and able to pass away at any time.
 
We personally avoid sweet early in insulinoma since there MIGHT be enough
normal pancreatic cells to respond to the glucose levels and cause a
yo-yo effect (NO one knows and all that anyone has to go on for healthy
ferrets or for early insulinoma ferrets are hypotheses and guesswork in
relation to sugars or starches.), but late in insulinoma the normal cells
have either been replaced or suppressed and the insulinoma cells do NOT
respond to sugar levels (These are KNOWN things, so with an advanced case
sugar can be useful in conjunction with meds and can even give months of
good life after meds alone are no longer cutting it.).  There have been
tons of hypotheses about dietary sugars and starches and ferrets but
little that is solid knowledge.  Fortunately, more is known than was 15
to 20 years ago when all that anyone did was to give sugars, but there
still are too many hypotheses that people don't realize are only
hypotheses at this stage of the "game".  (Some game, huh?)
[Posted in FML issue 3917]