Hi, Ruby! Funny, a friend and I were just talking about kidney failure with a vet. We were discussing chronic kidney failure and for that the routine is to lower potassium, add sources of omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil -- not cod liver oil but fish oil - capsules are best, but that smell bothers you then use flaxseed oil but be SURE to refrigerate flaxseed oil because it breaks down fast without that precaution), ***reduce*** protein (a person here recently had a NON-vet give wrong advice on this score but he individual had already had spoken with enough vets and kidney experts to know better), and there are some meds now being researched in ferrets. In acute renal failure which it sounds like you may be looking at (though a low creatine and high BUN can be signatures of CHRONIC renal failure so there might have already been problem that had been hidden, and the problem may be chronic but it got tipped into being much worse suddenly by the influenza) the protein level does not have to be reduced in ferrets according to a small study on acute renal failure in kits, and the vet thinks that given other things that is probably reasonable for acute renal failure but NOT for chronic renal failure. Some other causes of acute renal failure include raisins, grapes, Tylenol or ibuprofen, or Gentamicin or Amikacin. I can't recall offhand, but the Dr. Tom Kawasaki et. al. article in one of the recent Ferrets magazine on raisin or grape causes of kidney failure in ferrets may include treatment info. You should look in case it is an acute case because aute cases can bounce back. Meanwhile, also ask your vet if this may be a chronic case which just showed itself. I know of a ferret with chronic renal failure for whom Epakitin is now being tried to see if that might help, but it is too early to know, so see the post I quote for approaches currently used. Some things which I hope will be of help for you: http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG18600 http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG16305 http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG15356 http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG15335 The FHL Archives is undergoing some facelift work to make it more obvious to people how to use it (and the latest is gorgeous), but that means it is a bit up and down right now. I found these for you before it went down, and you will have to try periodically to hit an up time. The Smartgroup site is going to go away completely (along with ALL of Smartgroups) on Nov. 30 but let me see if I can find any of the above posts and others of use there since they date from that site. Then if the archives site isn't up you can read them on the Smartgroups site, but I know that ones which don't list the poster in the poster line often don't show up so at least one above won't be gotten that way (i.e. try to pull up both the above URLs and the ones below): http://www.smartgroups.com/message/readmessage.cfm?gid=1423922&messageid=18600 http://www.smartgroups.com/message/readmessage.cfm?gid=1423922&messageid=15356 http://www.smartgroups.com/message/readmessage.cfm?gid=1423922&messageid=15335 http://www.smartgroups.com/message/readmessage.cfm?gid=1423922&messageid=9979 http://www.smartgroups.com/message/readmessage.cfm?gid=1423922&messageid=15349 Okay, I got one for you by a different route: http://www.smartgroups.com/message/readmessage.cfm?gid=1423922&messageid=16305&startid=16369 Although the cause was different this post has the most concentrated info for you: >As far as surgery goes, I would recommend using just a gas for >anesthesia (ie Iso or preferably SEVO) instead of the injectables >(domitor+ketamine, etc). Removing the left adrenal gland is usually >easy to do, so that part of the surgery should go just fine. The >elevated BUN is also a concern. I would recommend slow drip IV fluids >(LRS,.NACL, or Normosol) during the surgery. It may be a good thing >to add Dextrose to the IV fluids also. Cysts on the kidneys do not >usually cause kidney failure (CRF), so removing the kidney may not >help with the BUN/kidney problem. Draining the cyst may be an option >also. After the surgery reducing the protein level of the diet may >help, adding omega-3 oils (ie fish oil), reducing the phosphorous >level and adding potassium citrate may also help the kidney problem. >Using Hill's feline K/D or Eukanuba feline renal diet mixed 50/50 with >Totally Ferrets Senior food or Marshall's senior food would be my >suggestion. >Hope that helps and everything goes well, >Jerry Murray, DVM Sukie (not a vet) Reminder: THE FERRET HEALTH LIST IS MOVING. To join, click on the joining link at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth and then follow the directions. OR just send a blank mail to the automated joining address: [log in to unmask] and then follow the directions. Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ [Posted in FML 5435]