> When lymphoma (or when carcinoma) is present in the pancreas it can > suddenly cause a massive blood glucose crash which can be fatal. > That would fit both symptoms. In that case it can happen even > without a fast. We had to take extreme measures with one ferret, > Fritter, whose first sign of insulinoma was just such a crash, and > another, Ashling, whose first sign of carcinoma was such a crash. Fritter had lymphoma in her pancreas, not true beta cell insulinoma though the symptoms with all of these illnesses based in the pancreas were insulinoma type symptoms. Like some other I also wondered about insulinoma and the fast length, but I wondered if the 8 hours was accurate, so I meant to write something and just forgot. If a person looks at when we remove food for some before surgery and then the time of surgery it seems long like that, but actually, in the meantime the ones suspected of having pancreatic problems will already be on a drip to keep blood glucose levels up. I'm a bit distracted this week by sadness due to my aunt's death. Edith was elderly and more than ready to pass after her long fight with advanced COPD -- in fact, even though she had not been able to move her lower body for months Edith managed to get it over to the side of the bed and unplugged her own equipment that helped her breathe so my cousins respected her obvious wishes and sat with her as she comfortably faded away on her own schedule -- which is a far cry better than going during one of her recent painful edema crises -- but you know how it is so you know that I am somewhat distracted and will be for a while... I have noticed some extreme inconsistencies in a certain person's recent posts that go beyond the inconsistencies among her own posts, and the inconsistencies between her posts and her website, and the obvious (and i think this is the core of the matter) inconsistency of claiming support for USDA ferret specific standards while doing everything possible to dissuade FML members from writing to the USDA's APHIS to get such standards (not to mention that her own letter on their website speaks against having such regulations -- oh, wait, I did mention it). There are also some recent inconsistencies with apparent reality. Personally, I believe that she said is NOT happening at any inspected farms. You can count on it. Just two examples: First off, scalpel handles and disposable scalpel blades are cheap enough (and have been for at least 20 years), sterile, and much easier to work with, so no one would choose a tool like a box cutter that would mean almost certain death over the tool that would actually work best with least loss of life while being similar in cost. Secondly, ferret kits are still in high enough demand in most of the nation that farms have not had over-stocks of kits here. Just look at the prices -- which are a great indicator of demand since they drop to about $50 around here when demand is low but are currently about $125 and have been for years -- and that farms like Kathy Jordan's own farm were created to meet such added demand. You don't start a farm if you think that there is no market; instead then you cull animals with sterilization. The best way to help ferrets is to get a letter in to the USDA's Animal and Plant Inspection Service supporting the creation of ferret specific standards designed by ferret vets: Send your letter (the original and 3 copies -- so just print out 4 copies): Docket No. 04-088-1 Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3C71 4700 River Road Unit 118 Riverdale, MD 20737-1238 Let your vet and vet techs know, too! To learn more: http://www.ferretcongress.org/ and http://www.ferret.org/ -- Sukie (not a vet) Ferret Health List co-moderator http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth FHL Archives fan http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ replacing http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org International Ferret Congress advisor http://www.ferretcongress.org [Posted in FML issue 5030]