>Insulinoma is a terrible disease that can't be cured, only managed or >slowed down for a time, and that time varies greatly from ferret to >ferret. When my Sammy developed insulinoma we tried a nodulectomy (removing the visible nodules from the pancreas). This had little or no effect. We managed his disease for a year with prednisone and regular feedings but it eventually grew worse. Then we tried a second surgery, a partial pancreatectomy. The vet removed about 1/3 of his pancreas where the nodules seemed most concentrated. Sammy was about 6 years old at the time. The result was miraculous. Sammy's blood glucose returned to normal and he remained symptom free for the remainder of his life without any medication. He died 15 months later of unrelated causes without his insulinoma ever returning. That's 27 months after his insulinoma first appeared. Perhaps the disease would have returned if Sammy had lived longer, but in effect, for the remainder of his life, he was cured. I understand most ferrets will not react so well and for some ferrets surgery is not an option, but it sure worked for Sammy. -- John Rosloot, Caregiver to Pandora and Tommy With loving memories of my Big Buster Boy my dear departed Buddy, my precious little Cassie-angel, and my Silly Snuggly Sammy http://www2.cs.uregina.ca/~rosloot/ferrets [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML 5494]