~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Hello Ferret Friend! We hope you had a great Thanksgiving and that your holiday shopping is coming along. There are a few things in this newsletter that can make your ferrety shopping better! But first ... One of the most common illnesses in ferrets is insulinoma. See below for information on this common and *treatable* condition. We hope you enjoy the newsletter! --Mary & Eric & the Fuzzies ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ IN THIS NEWSLETTER - Insulinoma in Ferrets
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Insulinoma in Ferrets By Mary R. Shefferman One night last week Koosh was behaving strangely. He was very quiet and still -- very un-Koosh-like. We coaxed him to walk a little and that's when we knew what was wrong. Koosh was having a hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) episode. He had little control over his back legs -- they slipped out from under him. He seemed to stare off into space. The classic signs of hypoglycemia. We gave Koosh some FerretVite  (which has a lot of sugar in it) to bring his blood sugar level into a more normal range. Then we gave him some chicken baby food (high in protein). Within about 20 minutes, Koosh was behaving more like himself again. What could cause Koosh's hypoglycemic episode? One likely possibility is insulinoma. Insulinoma is a common illness in ferrets. It is basically tumors of the pancreas. The pancreas is the organ that secretes insulin, the hormone that breaks down sugars in the body. In insulinoma the pancreatic tumor(s) causes an increased secretion of insulin, which breaks down more sugar than usual and results in (hypoglycemia). The signs of hypoglycemia in ferrets include: - Rear-end weakness
- Staring into space
- Drooling
- Seizure
- Screaming
- Unconsciousness What do you do if your ferret shows any of these signs? The first thing to do is get him or her out of the hypoglycemic episode. If the ferret is conscious and responsive, offer a high-sugar supplement such as FerretVite or Nutrical  or you can use corn syrup (Karo syrup). Give small amounts and wait about two minutes in between to see if your ferret has improved. Another option is to rub corn syrup on the ferret's gums. Again, wait a few minutes to see if the ferret has come out of the episode. You don't want to give too much sugar because that will cause the pancreas to secrete more insulin, causing another hypoglycemic episode. If the ferret is unconscious or does not lick the supplement off your finger, you will have to rub it on his gums. *Never* try to feed an unconscious ferret! Once the ferret is out of the hypoglycemic episode and is able to eat, give him a snack that is high in protein. Cooked meat or eggs are good choices. We gave Koosh chicken baby food (Gerber's Stage 2). Avoid foods that are high in carbohydrate (which breaks down to sugar) or sugar (except for getting the ferret out of a hypoglycemic episode). Your ferret will need to see the vet. You will want your vet to do a fasting blood glucose level for your ferret. Fast the ferret (that is, do not let him eat) for 4 to 6 hours. Do not fast the ferret longer than 4 or 6 hours; it isn't necessary and it can cause a serious hypoglycemic episode. When you check in at your vet's office, tell them your ferret has been fasting and needs to be seen as soon as possible. If the fasting blood glucose is below 70 mg/dL, your ferret probably has insulinoma. Our Koosh's blood glucose was 34 mg/dL after a 5-hour fast; there is no doubt that he has insulinoma. Most vets consider the best first course of treatment of insulinoma to be surgery. In a young, otherwise healthy ferret (like Koosh) the surgeon will remove any visible tumor(s) on the pancreas or remove a part of the pancreas (called a "partial pancreatectomy") if no tumors are visible. This will reduce the amount of insulin being produced and will thus stop the hypoglycemic episodes from occurring. If a ferret is not a good candidate for surgery, or if part of the ferret's pancreas has already been removed, he can be given prednisone to regulate blood glucose levels. You will need to have your ferret's blood glucose level checked periodically to ensure that the dose of prednisone is adequate. It's important to keep a close eye on a ferret with insulinoma for any changes in behavior that may indicate a need for a dose adjustment (for example, if the ferret starts staring into space or having hind-end weakness). Another medication that is used in treating insulinoma is Proglycem (diazoxide). Proglycem reduces insulin in the blood. It is used in conjunction with prednisone to regulate the ferret's blood sugar. Although insulinoma is serious, it is treatable. Many ferrets can live several years after a diagnosis of insulinoma. We'll let you know how Koosh's surgery goes -- he's scheduled for Monday.
 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ =============================== FERRET DESIGNS COUPON Do your ferrety holiday shopping at FerretDesigns.com and $ave! Use the coupon code below and save $4.00 on orders over $40.00. The coupon code is: SNOWFLAKES HURRY! This coupon expires on Friday December 19th, 2003! You must use the coupon code to save! http://www.ferretdesigns.com =============================== ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ____________SPONSOR MESSAGE____________ Introducing ... The Modern Ferret SUPER MONSTER PACK of back issues! You get all 28 of the available Modern Ferret back issues! Click on the link below to find out the current pricing. The 28 issues are: #1 (reprint), 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, & 33. Another great holiday gift! Order early for delivery for Christmas! We're shipping orders daily! http://www.ferrettradingpost.com/take25pack.html ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ =============================== New T-Shirt Design =============================== California has a ferret-friendly governor in Arnold Schwarzenegger (he co-starred with a ferret in the movie _Kindergarten Cop_!). Let "Ahnold" know you want ferrets legalized in California with the latest Tee from FerretDesigns: http://www.cafeshops.com/ferretdesigns/192858 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ That's about all for this newsletter! We'll let you know how everything goes with Koosh on Monday. You can always check my blog for updates at: http://www.modernferretblog.com/mary Hope your holidays are safe and happy! --Mary & Eric & the Ferrets
Ferret NewsPlease let your ferret friends know about this newsletter and encourage them to join. http://www.ferretnews.com Shopping at these web sites helps support this newsletter so we can continue to send it for free to all who want it: http://www.ferretdesigns.com http://www.ferrettradingpost.com You can provide feedback about this issue at: http://ferretnews.com/feedback.html or by sending email to:
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