>I really need to know what to do right now.  Ferret came in to us after
>being found in the park, so no history.  Person said ferret was eating.
>Ferret walked around and played and ate.  Short time later, ferret found
>on bottom of cage in, what looked to be, an insulinomic episode.  She was
>laying in a puddle of urine.  Gave Karo to bring her out of it and fed
>her chicken gravy with A/D mixed in it.  Called vet and was told to follow
>protocol for insulinoma.  She is adrenal and on the elderly side.  She
>snapped out of it and seemed ok-until now.  She went to her bowl to eat
>kibble.  As she was getting into the pan she collapsed.  I grabbed her out
>and she was like a wet, limp noodle.  She had a gurgling in her throat and
>when I had her head down, clear bubbles came out of her nose.  During this
>time her eyes become very large and she looks afraid.  I am at a loss of
>what to do.  We have a Dr. appt set up but I am afraid she will not wait.
>Emergency vets here don't know anything about ferrets.  They would, most
>likely, put her down.
 
Stick with what you are doing - right now it is difficult to tell what is
the cause of the collapse, so all you can do is play the odds, treat for
hypoglycemia, and hope she makes it through the night so you can get
bloodwork done in the morning.  In cases like this, some SQ fluids may be
helpful in case the animal is in shock.  IV is always faster, but you'd
be surprised how much SQ hydration can help.
 
I think based on one episode it may be a bit premature to say that she
crashes after she eats, and this bit of history may confuse the issue
(for example - dogs with severe liver failure characteristically become
neurologic after eating due to liberation of amines from digestion and
their effect on the brain).  If your vets are not ferret-knowledgeable,
they may seize on this, look at mildly elevated hepatic enzymes (which
are common in ferrets) and come up with an errant diagnosis.
 
So let's just say that she has had two episodes in the course of one
night, and not bias the patient evaluation.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 3623]