>        Proglycem, also called diazoxide, is a diuretic that for unknown
>reasons decreases the response of the body to the effects of insulin.  It
>will help in medically treated cases, but as I always say, surgical
>treatment is the first and best defense.  In older animals or animals
>that have recently had the surgery and a tumor was not found, it is an
>option.
 
I don't argue against the use of it, but from experience with out ferret,
I would say it doesn't always work.  Before her surgery for pancreatic
tumors, we gave her prelone; when that wasn't enough to keep her blood
glucose high enough, we added proglycem, but it didn't make a difference
in her glucose level.  The effects of her surgery weren't long lasting at
all, and she has been on and off prelone since (at one point her glucose
level became very high, and she was taken off it).  She's been on prelone
again for a while, but she was having side effects from it (such as
jumpiness), and a reduced dosage wasn't enough to keep her blood sugar
up, so the vet had us give her proglycem again while maintaining the same
dose of prelone (so as not to introduce another variable).  The proglycem
didn't result in a rise in blood glucose, so now we've upped her prelone,
which appears to be making a difference (it's just been a few days, and
she hasn't had her blood tested yet), but she's not doing too well.
She's an "older" ferret, and I fear her days are numbered.  (Actually,
it's been two years since she first went into a hypoglycemic state, and
every day since I watch to see if her "sleeping bag" is moving from her
breathing; when I reach in for her, I feel if she's warm or cold.  After
already going through something like this with our other ferret, who
gradually weakened and went completely hairless from adrenal gland tumors
-- surgery for them wasn't available at the time -- it's horrible.
Ferrets are so much fun, but they seem to get lingering fatal illnesses
far too often:  I'm not sure I could stand to go through it again.)
 
BTW, someone mentioned proglycem costing $90 for a month's supply -- the
$90 figure is about right, but my vet said that would be a longer supply
-- I don't remember exactly, but something like 120-150 days.
 
RE: blood sugar testing.  My vet found out a while back that most of the
blood sugar meters are calibrated for capillary blood, since they're used
mostly for people using lancets, but you're getting venous blood when you
clip a ferret's toenail, so it's important to use a meter that is
accurate with venous blood.
[Posted in FML issue 0981]