I don't if anyone remembers, but nearly 5 months ago I posted a request for information on the treatment of heartworm in an insulinomic ferret. Frasier and his buddy Tylor came into our shelter a few weeks earlier. Although Tylor was a "normal" looking light, silver panda, Frasier was a frail looking silver mitt; blind in one eye from a cataract. No matter how much we fed him, Frasier never would gain weight. As time went on, he became less and less active. We took him into Dr. Dutton's for an examination. Blood tests came back showing that he had insulinoma, but more disturbing was the suspicion of heartworm, confirmed a little later with an x-ray. His heart was probably too weak to allow him to survive surgery until after the worm was killed. We started him off on ivermectin (68 mcg) once a month. This was to continue for 6 months. The hope was to slowly kill off the worm so that it wouldn't break into small pieces and cause a blockage of the lungs, or brain. He was also placed on prednisone to control the insulinoma until he was strong enough for surgery on his pancreas. Into his third month of treatment, my wife Joan, noticed Frasier taking frequent trips to the litter box, but with no production. She rushed him into Dutton's. He did emergency surgery to remove a tumorous adrenal gland that had caused his prostrate tissue to swell and block the elimination of urine. Frasier was also catherized until the prostrate swelling would open the passage of urine. He survived the adrenal surgery. About a week later, I looked in on him and noticed blood all over the bedding. I carefully pulled Frasier out of his blanket, and noticed that the incision was ripping open and his insides were beginning to spill out. It was late at night, but Dr. Dutton responded quickly and met us at his office. He immediately took over; cleaned and stitched him up again. We took him home the next day. One week later, Joan looked in on Frasier to see his insides were hanging out. He had ripped all of the stitches out this time. Another quick trip to the vet. This time the risk of infection was very high. Dr. Dutton double stitched him with heavy thread. Apparently the prednisone was slowing the healing process, so Frasier was taken off of the prednisone. We not only had to watch for infection but also hypoglycemia. Frasier was now down to 1 pound 6 ounces. Through all of this his spirit never faltered. He was always interested in his play time (although he fell asleep after a short time). He was always craving attention, and often fell asleep on my lap or in my arms. Three weeks ago his stitches were removed. Two weeks ago his weight was nearly up to 2 pounds, and just the other day did his first ferret dance since he came to us. He still doesn't look like much. His fur is sparse; he has a peculiar walk; and perhaps because of his partial blindness, he holds his head at an odd angle. But I've never seen a person or other animal display the spirit or the will to live that he has. He's never given up in situations that would have even the strongest of us wondering if it was worth going on. Once again ferrets have taught me a major lesson in life and in living. Dick B. [Posted in FML issue 2237]