>My 6yr old ferret has recently been diagnosed with insulinoma on top of >her adrenal tumors as well. She is on pedia-pred, proglycem, and >recently, on lasix for abdominal swelling. Does timmys tonic work for >insulinoma? If so, what variation of it? What about timmys duck soup >recipes? I am desperate at this point, as she has already crashed on us >twice. Hold off on the Timmy's Tonic. None of the diseases you mention cause ascites (the abdominal fluid) or require Lasix. The most common causes of that in ferrets are cardiomyopathy (usually dilative but they can get the harder to find hypertrophic form), liver disease, or kidney disease. These can be very, very serious problems and Timmy's Tonic is not a good thing to give with at least two of them (three if there is alcohol but I haven't looked closely at ingredients in some time), if it still contains true licorice, gingseng, or something else -- forget what off-hand but have a vague recollection of three things in it that are counter-indicated by possible circulatory disease. True licorice is a really, really, really HUGE no-no for that. It seems to provide energy which is why it traditionally was used for heart troubles but the routes it takes to provide that short lift are ones which cause further damage and can even lead to throwing clots. Ferrets don't get true strokes but they can throw clots and sometimes those go to the brain and these thromboses are what folks usually term "strokes" in ferrets. Circulatory disease and kidney disease are large causes of doing so, and I can tell you that the chances of worsening them in this fashion is something to avoid. Any medicine of any type has some things that counter-indicate its use: certain medical conditions, individual sensitivities or characteristics, etc. What tests have been done so far to explain the ascites? Chest x-ray, chest ultrasound, and blood tests for liver and for kidneys are good ways to start. Sorry, but I think there is something else going on, too. There ARE approaches to help. You'll want to read up in the archives (using search engine) at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-List and http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc and look at links at http:geocities.com/sukielist . Ferret with bladder control problems: get a vet check. There are multiple possible causes of such difficulties and vet care is the logical first step. One of the more common reasons is from problems secondary to adrenal disease. If he stops urinating get to the vet immediately for an emergency visit --do NOT wait, but hopefully the cause will be found and treated before then. Time to make an appointment for a visit very soon. Sukie (Not a vet) [Posted in FML issue 3759]