From: Lynn McIntosh [faiml@uswest.net] Sent: Monday, April 17, 2000 1:18 AM To: FAIMLanon; FAIML Subject: FAIML #412; April 16, 2000 Ferret Adrenal/Insulinoma Mailing List (FAIML) #412; April 16, 2000 1. Help 2. Re: FAIML #411; April 16, 2000 / Thanks for your help 3. Luella 4. Pred & Proglycem The FERRET ADRENAL/INSULINOMA MAILING LIST (FAIML) is a group that's come together to share support and information about adrenal and insulinoma diseases. FAIML comes out in digest format three to six times per week, depending on the number of posts sent, and their surgency. FAIML information is the opinion, only, of subscribers, mostly ferret caretakers. It is not medical advice, comes with no guarantee of accuracy, and is not meant to replace the examination and medical oversight of a qualified veterinarian. If your ferret is sick or exhibiting signs of illness take your fur kid to the most ferret- experienced vet you can find! A ferret- experienced vet is one of the most important services you can provide to your ferret. TO POST: Write POST at the end of your subject heading (the more specific you can be in your subject heading, the better) and send to . URGENT POSTS: If you feel the message is urgent please mark it POST URGENT and I'll send it out to subscribers as soon as I can, then include the message in the next list. CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS: Please write POST ANONYMOUS after your subject heading if you don't want your address or last name published. SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE: Just use the one address for posts, subscription questions, requests, cancellations, comments, etc. The list is run by hand so just send me an email. ADRENAL/INSULINOMA WEBSITE: FAIML ARCHIVES/PHOTOS: Past FAIMLs are being archived, with a search feature, on Michael Janke's adrenal/insulinoma web site: . Michael is also kindly posting pictures of FAIML subscribers and the ferrets at this site in the FAIML Album. Check out his site for more info. PAM GREENE's FERRET FAQs: I suggest people read (and reread) Pamela Greene's Disease FAQ's on Insulin and Adrenal diseases, as they offer a good background. I forward them to all new subscribers, and will gladly send them upon request. I also send the "Disease Package", a file that tells how to get all six of Pamela Greene's FAQs on ferret diseases. Pam also has excellent FAQ's about general ferret care as well, and a link to these may be found on the FERRET CENTRAL web site: . THE FERRET MAILING LIST (FML): The FML has 3,000+ ferret-loving subscribers and the topic is simply ferrets, ferrets, and more ferrets. Moderated by Mr. Bill Gruber, it's a great source of ferret entertainment and information. Visit FERRET CENTRAL on the web (see paragraph above) for more info on the FML. To subscribe to the FML, send email to its moderator, Bill Gruber, at and ask to be added. You can also try subscribing automatically by sending email to with the command SUBSCRIBE FERRET in the body of the email. 1. Help From: EquineAmy@aol.com Date sent: Sun, 16 Apr 2000 22:19:55 EDT Hi everyone, I really need some help. I am having some problems with my 3.5 yr old. Just three weeks ago she was put on pediapred (,75cc, 2x day) for insulomnia. Well, here is some background I need to give in order for you to help me. Winnie eats TF, with breweres yeast (which I think I am going to stop giving her) and some ferretone (tell me if I am wrong, but I belive ferretone is sugar free and is okay for her). We have a little thing going iwth two vets who are really helping me and working together to help winnie. See, the specialist is really far for me to run to all the time so he and a wonderful local vet work together for winnie (and me). Anyway, since november we have been monitoring her BG becaue she was sick and we did a BG with her WBC and the BG was a little low 87. Three weeks later, 77...73 and finally 70. It was at that point that we went to the specialist. Unfortunatly, we were delayed at the office and winnie went 5 hrs without eating and her BG was 43. Anyway, she is now on the pediapred. Here is my problem. Winnie NEVER showed any signs of insulomnia before the medicine (just the BG readings) and now that she is on the pediapred, she has had 2 days in the last three weeks wehre she is just out of it. Eating helps (she eats well, but I remind her often to eat snacks). Now is it just a coinisidence that she is getting sicker now or could the pediapred somehow be doing this? She is going to the vet tomorrow for anotehr BG and we will then decide what to do. But does anyone know anything about this. I am really concerned. I never imagined all the thnigs that could go wrong with these little guys. I have two sick and one healthy now and am still in college. I hope this doesn't sound cruel, but I can't do surgery on them. I just can't pay it. I know the vet will work with me, but right now that isn't even an option cause I just can't do it - it is about $1000 for the surgery. I love her to death and never want any thing to happen. I know she isn't suffering now - well I dont' think she is - but Ijust don't know what to do for her. Any suggestions - please please please pass it my way. Sorry so long, but thanks so much Amy, Winnie, Chloe and Connor 2. Re: FAIML #411; April 16, 2000 / Thanks for your help From: Rikkie2000@aol.com Date sent: Sun, 16 Apr 2000 18:46:47 EDT Thanks for the help regarding my 6 year old adrenal ferret, Rikkie. She went to the vet and sure enough it was a "hot spot". I have to treat the area 3x a day with an antibiotic/steroid cream. The down side is she has to wear a "lampshade" Picture this if you will. She is not happy with that. Again, thanks for your support 3. Luella From: "Sandra Barcelona" Date sent: Sun, 16 Apr 2000 20:11:01 -0500 Unfortunately, we had to have Luella put to sleep yesterday. She is seven and was diagnosed with adrenal disease a few months ago. We had an appointment to start treating her with Lupron yesterday, and in the meantime, she deteriorated over the past few weeks. She was losing weight despite eating well, had less and less energy, and then started breathing more and more rapidly and seemed to be whimpering while she tried to sleep. We were beside ourselves. We brought her in yesterday, somewhat prepared for what might have to happen. I was feeling so badly for not treating her sooner, thinking that she must have been one of the few adrenal carcinoma that metastasize... We got an x-ray which showed her lungs filled up with fluid , and an enlarged liver indicating heart failure. But the vet didn't think it was a clear cut picture of CHF because her lungs seemed have a granular pattern to them. She thought it could be a pneumonia or lymphoma as well as CHF. I couldn't bear to watch her suffer while hopefully waiting for her to get better--it seemed to many things were going wrong at once and the likelihood of her getting better was slim. I think the benefit of being an animal, is that you can be helped over the bridge, as opposed to people who have to sometimes endure great pain and loss of dignity to reach the end. So we decided to let her go. We stayed with her while she was anesthetized and petted her until her little heart finally stopped. We took her home and buried her in the backyard with her favorite toy and blanket. For the few days before we brought her in, I was wishing she would go in her sleep, or in my arms, but it didn't happen and I think that it didn't happen just so we could get to the vet and get the X-ray to help us know that it wasn't our fault for not treating her adrenal disease. This is even harder than I thought it would be. We know that time will make it easier. I wanted to thank everyone who commented on Luella's case and all of the other ferret people out there who discussed their problems on this site. It was a great source of information. Sandy, Danny and Luella Sandra Barcelona Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. USA s-barcelona@nwu.edu 4. Pred & Proglycem From: "Michael F. Janke" Date sent: Sun, 16 Apr 2000 21:54:03 -0400 >1. Bandit Update; Questions >From: Cjbandit@aol.com > > ...based on what I've read online that PediaPred is usually given with >Proglycem but she did not mention that and I didn't realize it at the time. Actually, Proglycem is usually only added when pred no longer controls the symptoms. For the ferrets, Mike * Michael F. Janke, mjanke@miamiferret.org * Secretary, South Florida Ferret Club & Rescue * A 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation * * Shelter web site: http://www.miamiferret.org * Adrenal/Insulinoma web site: http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc ----------------------- End of FAIML #412 -------------------------