From: Lynn McIntosh [faiml@uswest.net] Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2000 2:27 AM To: FAIMLanon; FAIML Cc: faiml@uswest.net Subject: FAIML #473; Oct. 18, 2000 Ferret Adrenal/Insulinoma Mailing List (FAIML) #473; Oct. 18, 2000 There are seven messages in today's list: Post from Zackari Noni Juice Source? Dustie's tail tumor Buffalina My Little Girl Giving Proglycem NJ Vet General Message: Dr. Weiss in N.M. FERRET ADRENAL/INSULINOMA MAILING LIST (FAIML) is a list featuring support and information about adrenal and insulinoma diseases. It comes out in digest format three to six times per week, depending on the urgency and number of posts. It is the opinion, only, of subscribers, and is not intended as 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 exhibiting signs of illness please take him or her to the most ferret-experienced vet you can. A ferret-experienced vet is one of the most important services you can provide for 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 and FAIML ARCHIVES/PHOTOS: For more info, check out Michael Janke's adrenal/insulinoma web site: . Past FAIMLs are archived there, with a search feature, and there is a FAIML album featuring pictures of FAIML subscribers and their ferrets. FERRET CENTRAL WEBSITE and PAM GREENE's FERRET FAQs: Ferret Central Website is the grand intersection of ferret websites, at . You can also find the Ferret FAQs there, which include invaluable FAQs on insulinoma and adrenal diseases. I forward these two FAQs 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. 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. Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000 09:18:06 -0400 From: "keclark" Post from Zackari I haven't posted in a while because my Zackari has been doing so well,DOB 11/13/93, Marshal ferret, double adrenal surgery last one 12/14/99. We just had every blood test you could imagine donein August and all was great. The last week he hasn't been eating very well. I've tried different bags of food. I tried putting a little moisture on it. He thought that was awful. Yesterday I tried to give him chicken baby food mixed with Nutracal and you would think I gave him poison. He just had a little on his tongue. It made him sick. (I tasted it and it was just fine) He felt terrible the rest of the day and only ate a teaspoon from his hopper last night in his cage. I can feel he little body getting thinner. We are going to the vet today at 3:00. I took the plunge and just ordered him some Noni juice. My sister swears by it. So I will keep you posted. My heart goes out to all those sick babies out there and the loving mommy's & daddy's taking good care of them. You are in my thoughts every day. These little souls make such a huge impact on our lives. Love & luck to all. Kathy, Zackari & sweet memories of Bully and Picker Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2000 20:41:10 EDT From: Bugsy39@aol.com Noni Juice Source? hi, where can i find noni juice? Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2000 17:19:24 -0400 From: "Moxie" Dustie's tail tumor Hi, This is for Lynne and Dustie. Please tell them that Moxie and Chance say hi. I sent her an email and didn't get a response, so I'm glad you told us her computer is down. That is a tough call for Dustie. I would hesitate on the surgery, if the insulinoma is causing problems. If Dustie had no other health problems, I would probably have the growth removed, but seeing that he has complications, I just don't know. How much confidence does Lynne have with this particular vet? I'm just concerned that it could stress him out. Maybe someone has some suggestions about how to non-surgically deal with the tumor that bleeds. When I had Slinky operated on to remove a spleen at 6.5, I had faith that he would do well, and he lived another year. I guess it all depends on the particular ferret, but I too would be in a quandry about which direction to proceed in this case, especially with insulinoma involved.. Best of luck to Dustie and here is hoping Lynne can make the right decision. Regards, Moxie and Chance -- * Page me online through my Personal Communication Center: http://wwp.mirabilis.com/949746 (go there and try it!) or, * Send me E-mail Express directly to my computer screen 949746@pager.mirabilis.com For downloading ICQ at http://www.icq.com/ For adding similar signatures to your e-mail go to: http://www.icq.com/emailsig.html Moxie and Chance Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000 10:31:34 -0500 From: mary.rogers@verizon.com Buffalina My Little Girl We had to help Buffy to the bridge Monday. Buffy had inoperable adrenal cancer. When we adopted her 15 months ago she just had left adrenal surgery; in fact, her stitches had just been taken out that morning. Her hair filled in on her body, but never really filled in on her tail. Knowing that she'd probably been adrenal for a while because the breeder said it was a "seasonal thing". I didn't give it much thought and knew that sometimes the hair doesn't grow back. Later on she developed a "smell" (maybe like urine, or creosote) she didn't smell "ferrety". I didn't know this was a sign of adrenal, which unfortunately I found out too late. Her tail had also started to thin, but some of my others are doing the same thing right now, seasonal shedding? After losing so many ferrets at the beginning of the year and finding out we had ADV I decided to not do vaccines or surgeries for awhile. After a few months of everyone doing fine and no deaths I started getting distemper shots. Buffy was one of them, but I didn't take her to my normal vet. Two weeks later I thought she felt tight so I took her to my vet and he felt a mass. In a months time it got huge. I keep wondering if the vet found it when he gave her the shot if she would have had a better chance??? When my vet opened her up to take a look and do a biopsy the tumor was all entwined in the vena cava and intestines and he closed her back up not giving her much time. Well, I got her a Lupron shot, gave her Timmy's Tonic and the Red Clover (Tumor Be Gone), tried the Riley Recipe all in her chicken gravy. I was bound and determined to prove them wrong. But, unfortunately, the cancer won. She did live weeks longer than expected. When she didn't want to eat on Saturday, had trouble getting around, more lethargic, and could see it in her eyes I knew it was time. Buffy was a MF DEW, around 4 years old, with stray black hairs on her back, black and white whiskers, and a tiny black smudge on her nose that looked like dirt. At the breeders before she was rescued she was stuck in a dirty cage and not socialized with other ferrets. She had fleas, dirty ears, bedding was hard, poop piled high, yuck! We weren't even sure she was going to work out at first. She was a "people" ferret. She eventually wormed her way into our hearts. She had such a sweet personality. She'd give kisses and ear cleanings. She ran like a gazelle. She looked so happy when she did this running down the hallway! We were fortunate to know beforehand that she was going to die, so we could make her life the best in those last few weeks. I don't know if ADV played any part in her becoming sick or not. I'd like to believe that the adrenal just kept growing even after the first surgery. She is number 5 to leave us since the beginning of this year. It's been extremely tough, even with an almost 5-month break between the last death before hers. It never gets any easier!!! I don't know how you shelter people to it. Mary Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000 21:31:18 -0400 From: miralia@juno.com Giving Proglycem I give Benny Proglycem, but he WILL get sick to his stomach if I don't hide it well in food. After many months of unsuccesfully mixing Proglycem in various substances, I finally discovered something that works: A dab of peanut butter mixed in with some Bob Church chicken gravy will hide the taste of Proglycem, not to mention it will also hide Casodex, Clavamox, and a number of other meds Benny has had to be on. Benny will happily eat the peanut butter gravy if there's not TOO much peanut butter and if there's enough water to make it a soupy mixture. Even my finicky skinny adrenal weasel Amos will eat the "peanut gravy." It seems to really help get rid of the tummy upset caused by Clavamox and Baytril, too. (Benny can't take meds on an empty stomach - he always gets sick and acts very droopy and weak.) I think Proglycem CAN work quite well... just make sure you don't give it to them straight or on an empty stomach. Benny will ALWAYS act alarmingly weak, nauseated, and listless after the Proglycem if I don't mix it with gravy. I think it really tastes awful and irritates the stomach. If you make sure it's well hidden, I think the medicine can do what it's supposed to do. -------------------------------------------------- Andréa -- miralia@juno.com --ICQ 74505608 --- ICQ & MSN messenger: moonferret http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Film/1630/index.html (never done) SCA --- Chiara Franco of Seareach --- Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000 09:05:24 -0400 (EDT) From: Bel-Mar@webtv.net NJ Vet this is the email i sent earlier. Hi, I saw your letter. i am from northern NJ i bring my 2 ferrets to Maywood Veterinary Clinic in Bergen County, phone number - 201-368-0607, there are 2 vets there, Dr. Krausman and Dr. Bucholz and also, you can try Oradell Animal Hospital, Dr. Boren, i dont have their number, just call info. I hope you find the help you need and that the ferret gets through this ok. Take care and keep me informed. Lynn and Ron Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2000 11:11:40 -0600 From: "Federici, Paula" General Message: Dr. Weiss in N.M. Hello to all. Dr. Weiss will be in Santa Fe, NM on the weekend of October 28 and 29 to perform cryosurgery on ferrets. If anyone who lives within driving distance of Santa Fe would like to have this surgery done on their loved ones, please email me ASAP as I am trying to schedule ferrets for the two days. I can be reached at pkgreek@excite.com. Love to all, Paula Federici PF Ferrets Shelter and Rescue MODERATOR'S NOTE: I'm glad to hear that Dr. Weiss is still willing to travel to other states and do surgeries, sharing his experience with other vets. As a matter of fact I've been planning to talk with him and with my vet to see if this could be arranged for Seattle, WA. I currently have three ferrets who could use surgery, have a friend with one, another acquaintence with two, and could probably round up others. I think he said he needs a minimum of six fur kids but could be wrong. Most (all?) of these surgeries involve adrenal and/or insulinoma problems. Will keep you all posted! Lynn ----------------------- End of FAIML #473 ------------------------