My 7-year-old DEW Alfalfa has had insulinoma for almost a year now. He's on pred and proglycem twice daily, plus Pepcid AC to soothe his tummy. He has his off days, and isn't as energetic as he used to be, but he's doing OK, all things considered. He still runs around the house and terrorizes Sebastian, my cat, when he finds him on the floor (luckily for Sebastian, ferrets can't jump very high!) I had a big scare with Al just last weekend. I woke up at 6 AM Saturday and found Al lying on his side on the bottom of the cage. I thought he was gone. I reached in and picked up a warm, limp body, thinking "oh God, no!" Then he moved and opened his little black eyes! Whew! He was having a hypoglycemic episode. I got some Nutrical into him, and when he came around a little I got him to eat a few peices of kibble. Kept a close eye on him for the next 48 hours, but he seems to be fine. I had given him his meds about three hours earlier than ususal on Friday night, so I wondered if that may have caused a problem for him. Al has had more than his share of ailments. He had his left adrenal removed when he was about three, he had his spleen with a large tumor attached removed in his fifth year, and had his teeth scraped at the same time to alleviate his gingivitis (none of the rest of my six have had tooth problems). Last summer he became severely anemic for unknown reasons and has been receiving Procrit injections for that, which have gotten his blood count back to normal. Just two weeks ago Al went back to the vet for another follow-up blood test, and during a routine palpation of his abdomen the vet found a new tumor in the mesenteric tissue, which he said is inoperable. On top of that, Al is exhibiting signs of another adrenal tumor. My vet said we could try chemo for the new tumor, but he didn't recommend it. He said it might buy Al another six months, but the unpleasantness of the additional medication might make his remaining time less enjoyable. Despite everything, Al is a happy little guy. His appetite is good and his weight remains steady (which surprises my vet), and his output is normal. I offer kibble to Al out of my hand several times a day, like a treat, just to make sure he continues to get as much protein as possible. We just continue to take each day as it comes, and try to enjoy the time left to us. Nancy and critters [Posted in FML issue 3756]