> From:  [log in to unmask] (Katie Fritz)
> Subject: Insulinoma info from AMC
> Date:  Tue, 31 Mar 1992 09:53:38 -0500
>
[...]
>                     INSULINOMAS IN FERRETS
>
> Insulinoma is a very common disease in middle age to older
> ferrets (3-6 years of age).  Insulin is a hormone which lowers
> the increased blood sugar that occurs after a meal.  It is
> produced by specific cells in the pancreas.  In ferrets with
> an insulinoma, these cells become cancerous and produce too
> much insulin.  The high insulin concentration causes the blood
> sugar to drop too low for the brain and nervous system to function
> normally.
> [...]  Early
> signs may be a decrease in normal activity, an increase in
> sleeping, or a weakness in the back legs.  More commonly,
> ferrets will have episodes of weakness of collapse.
 
Geez, I didn't really read this carefully at first since I no longer
have any ferrets. I bet my Rikki had this - he was always runty, and
so when he got older (he died at age 7) and started to act weak and
shakey, I just assumed it was old age. The vet never did a whole
workup on him, as he seemed relatively healthy. During his last couple
of years, he would collapse if he was left without food (or water) for
some 'long' (say, half a day) period of time. He was brought back from
the 'dead' several times with Nutracal and water being hand/force fed
into him.  Imp also had bouts of weakness in his hind legs that
cleared up quickly each time, although they did start to come more
frequently, and he might have also been sensative to lack of food (I
never connected it, but I never thought about it), he never collapsed
panting like Rikki did, and I just found him dead one day. If I ever
have ferrets again, I'll know to have them tested when they start to
show those signs.
 
                        *Tigger*
[Posted in FML issue 0245]