Bad news from the vet this week, it seems that our 7 yr. old female, Anais is on her way out. She's got an insulin-secreting tumor *and* has moderate kidney damage. They have recommended that we not attempt surgery for the tumor b/c she will eventually suffer renal failure anyway & possibly wouldn't make it through the surgery. So, we are giving her prednisone to h help her blood sugar levels & feeding her nutri-cal every few hours (when we're home to do it that often). She's on electrolite replacement solution (oral for now), and Prescription diet k/d to ease the strain on her kidneys. So far she's just tired alot, runs out of energy pretty quick, but is otherwise alert. She had a seizure the other night from extremely low blood sugar levels (that's what brought us to take her in). The vet says that she could last anywhere from months to (maybe) a year. Any suggestions on other treatments people know about, or vets in the VA/DC area if this treatment doesn't sound right? Similar experiences & how long the ferrets lasted? Another note, our vet says that she used to see ferrets living 8-10 years & they're now petering out around 4-5 years, inbreeding she thinks. These vets are the most knowledgable I've found so far so if you're in the VA/DC area you might want to try them: Old Dominion Animal Hospital, McLean, VA, 703-356-5582. Please respond quickly if you have info on these diseases, I'll scan the archives soon, but in the meantime... Cynthia, Colin (people), Anais & Mr. Bojangles (weaselettes), & Guinness (dog) [Posted in FML issue 0543]