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Starting Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 3/25/2008 2:49:31 PM
Posts: 1,
Visits: 1
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| I received some unsettling news today from my vet concerning my 4 1/2 year old ferret, Bueller. My vet called me to discuss Bueller's recent blood sample; all was fine except for her glucose level which is at an 86. Anything lower than an 80 means an almost certain diagnosis of insulinoma, according to my vet, so Bueller is now dangerously close to that number. The vet told me that this is the battle that Bueller and I will eventually have to face, probably in the next six months or so. I was told to keep a close watch on her for any insulinoma symptoms (getting spaced out, overly lethargic, hind end trouble, seizures), but that is all. It's a "wait and see" venture...so my question to those veteran ferret owners reading this forum is if there is anything else that I can do for my little girl before her next checkup and blood test in August? This is a perfectly happy and healthy ferret who is given absolutely zero treats that contain any sugar or sugar byproducts. As such, I'm at a loss as to what, if anything, I can do, and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Erin (Bueller's Mom)
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New Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 4/27/2008 5:10:12 PM
Posts: 84,
Visits: 337
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I went to another board where I am a member and did some research on insoluma. Things to have on hand. Karo syrup or honey, duck soup, a/d cat food and chicken or turkey baby food. The karo syrup or honey is used on a q-tip to help bring the ferret out of a seizure, then you feed duck soup, cat food or the baby food for the extra protein to balance out the sugar you just gave. If it insoluma, the vet will probably prescribe predisone which is a nasty steroid. When giving the pred, make sure the little one has something to eat prior or it will upset the tummy. It can be mixed in with the baby food, cat food or duck soup. The duck soup is easy to make and there are several varieties. Bob Church has one which is good and it's called Chicken Gravy, and there are others. One recipe is 4 chicken thighs, some olive oil, hard boiled egg with shell. You cook the the thighs in a crock pot overnight so everything is well done, blend the chicken, hard boiled egg shell and all, add olive oil. Make sure you add water to help with the blending, then you can freeze it and thaw or microwave it when needed to serve. You can add a/d cat food to it, Gerber baby food with it as well. The main thing is to get your little one use to it so he will eat it. This will help keep his sugar balanced. He may need to eat small meals several times a day to help with his sugar level and the duck soup will come in handy. I hope this helps
Proud Parents to Sarah, Jasimin, Casper, Taz, Patch, Beuregards, Demon, Scooter, Stripe, Ivan, Calvin, Hobbs, Nikita, Norma, Eistein Junior, Coco, Bonnie, Clyde, Stinker, Grace, China (Forever Toby- Rainbow Bridge Jul 07, Forever Ben Dec 07)
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 5/9/2008 7:05:32 AM
Posts: 247,
Visits: 28
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| My oldest baby just got the dreaded insulinoma diagnosis yesterday, so I truly understand your concern. I agree with everything said above (sorry, I can't read the post while I'm posting, so I can't properly credit you), and would add one very important piece myself: learn to recognize the warning signs by heart. Staring off into space, a massive drop in energy level, erratic eating, and pawing at the mouth or "chewing air" (that's what it looks like, really) are all signs that you should get to the vet for another blood work-up. Weight loss is another key sign, but unless you have a ferret-size scale at home, will you really know if you've lost .2 pound? Likewise, there are home testing kits available to test blood sugar, but I'm not comfortable using them myself, and I doubt most ferret owners would be either... One thing I might suggest keeping on hand is a feeding syringe for your fuzzy. Be sure to get one that can handle measuring in 1/10th cc intervals, to take the guesswork out of measuring small amounts. You may need to give your ferret doses of honey or white Karo syrup to bring the blood level up in an emergency, and it's better to be prepared. I'm trying to bring my boy's blood sugar back up from 39, and have been giving him .5 cc's 3x daily since yesterday morning (and it seems to be working!). Get as many syringes as you can; I have three, and could really use another one or two to make my life easier. Other than that, I think everything else I would suggest was covered: Pedialyte (unflavored), honey or syrup, and Pepto is all you really need around for emergencies. Just be sure to CLEARLY LABEL EVERYTHING as being meant for ferrets. Trust me, it's not a mistake you want to make. 
Father of two:
Tanuuki (6 year male)
Mika (1 year female)
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 6/25/2008 11:58:08 AM
Posts: 138,
Visits: 14
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| Also be aware when your ferret is "spacing out" the muscles will contract and they will be stiff. Cuddle the little guy and give gentle rubs after giving him some food. For my little ferret, Glenn, I would keep a heating pad nearby so when he went into the trance I would keep him warm. Now my other ferrets just love to lay on the heating pad when it is on, mostly for cool days but not in the summer in SC. Your vet will probably tell you to keep liquids in your little guy, too. Mine love Pedialyte. Oh, also note the Karo syrup will get all over their mouths and whiskers. Keep a warm washcloth handy for that, too.
weezilmom
9 fuzzies - Scooter, Stewie, Sparky, Dot, Misty, Muffin, Mischief, Koda, Coco
8 puppies - Teddy, Gretchen, Smokey, Honey Bun, Tiger, Cosmos, Blackie, Romeo
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