From: Lynn McIntosh [faiml@uswest.net] Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2000 11:30 PM To: FAIMLanon; FAIML Subject: FAIML #489; Dec. 12, 2000 Ferret Adrenal/Insulinoma Mailing List (FAIML) #489; Dec. 12, 2000 There are eight messages in today's list: Vet in Centerach, NY? Trying to find a recommended, experienced ferret vet in Arizona Martin Update Vanadium, high fat diets and prostates - antibiotics after surgery keeping ferrets entertained Mental Health: Your Ferrets and Yours, Too Mental Health: Your Ferrets and Yours, Too 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 find. 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 and send to . Remember: the more specific you can be in your subject heading the greater the chance someone will be able to find your important info when searching the archives. 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 get it; then I'll 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 Michael is kindly posting pictures of FAIML subscribers and their ferrets in a FAIML Album. 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 new subscribers the "Disease Package", a file that tells how to get all six of Pamela Greene's FAQs on ferret diseases. Pam has also compiled 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. Plus, it comes out daily. I encourage people to cross post on the FML and FAIML to get the most possible exposure and feedback. Visit FERRET CENTRAL website (you can find its address in the 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 sent: Mon, 11 Dec 2000 11:35:15 -0500 From: "Lisa LoRe" Subject: Vet in Centerach, NY? I am looking to find a qualified vet to perform the surgery to remove an adrenal tumor. I live in Centerach, NY (which is in Suffolk county, Long Island) If anybody can help, I'd appreciate it. Please e-mail me at llore@foodhandler.com Thank you, Lisa LoRe Date sent: Tue, 12 Dec 2000 11:49:08 -0700 From: "Dawn Guy" Subject: Trying to find a recommended, experienced ferret vet in Arizona Hello, My name is Dawn and I have been on the mailing list for at least a three months. Right after my "Boomer" started loosing his hair. I'll try to keep this short. But I do want to thank everyone for their advice. I'm quite confused on what I should do thou and what I can afford to do. So I guess I should start out with an experienced vet. Preferably a vet referred by someone on the FAIML list. I have taken both my babies to a vet but I'm not that confident with him. I would also like to speak with someone that lives in Arizona that has dealt with Adrenal disease. I know I'm going to have to make some hard decisions and I sure could use some support. Please feel free to email as well as responding thru the Faiml list. My email is Dawng@azfamilylaw.com Thank you so much, my prayers to all the fuzzies. Happy Holiday's Dawn, Barry, Meico & Boomer Glendale, AZ Date sent: Mon, 11 Dec 2000 16:45:44 -0500 From: "Carrie Miller" Subject: Martin Update Thank you so much to everyone who responded to my questions about Martin! It is so nice to know that other people are dealing with this illness! My family/friends think I'm a little nuts for spending so much time/energy on a ferret, but I can't help it, they're my babies! All the advice I received has helped so much! For everyone who advised that the surgical collar was probably the root of our problem, YOU WERE RIGHT! I took the collar off in Friday night, and by Saturday morning, he was eating kibble again and running around like a little banshee! He seems to have gone back to normal, just in smaller time spurts, he does get tired more quickly. He even felt the need to attack me while I was getting ready for work this morning (a normal morning event for us!). His appetite is good, and he's drinking lots of water (in addition to a little stolen cranberry juice now and then!) and he hasn't vomited anymore. We go back to the vet to have the remainder of his stitches removed tomorrow (Tuesday). I'll be curious to see if there are any stitches left by the time our appointment comes, though. Martin has decided he knows how to remove them better than the vet! Well, thanks again, and I'll keep you updated on his progress. I know Timmy is very excited to have his playmate back, and I'm glad he's returning to his normal cuddly, loving self! Carrie Date sent: Mon, 11 Dec 2000 08:36:06 -0600 From: teckart@oznet.ksu.edu Subject: Vanadium, high fat diets and prostates Vanadium - Everything I've read on it, in my herb books and on the web, indicated it was diabetics. I looked into quite awhile back and decided against trying it on the insulinoma ferrets. I didn't do an in-depth research on it as the information I had found indicated it was beneficial for diabetics. High fat diets In researching prostate problems I found that high fat diets are related to prostate cancer in men. This makes me wonder if the high fat diets we feed our ferrets isn't contributing to prostate problems (and possibly adrenal). When I have time I plan on researching the high fat/nutrition aspect. Maybe the fats we are feeding are contributing (remember there are good and bad fats so it may be we have too much bad fat and not enough good in their diets) to the adrenal problems. In humans, adding soy to the diet has proved helpful. I don't know if it will help with ferrets though. Hugs to all, Happy Holidays and best wishes for a wonderfully healthy and prosperous new year. tle Troy Lynn Eckart Ferret Family Services http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~sprite/ffs.html http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Haven/5481/ Please sign up to support our charity http://www.iGive.com/html/ssi.cfm?cid=46&mid=58395 Date sent: Mon, 11 Dec 2000 17:25:02 -0500 From: "Mary L. McCarty" Subject: antibiotics after surgery >chest tumors. The tumors turned out to be breast cancer and were >removed, and the vet diagnosed Adrenal. He is on monthly Lupron Why didn't he remove the affected glands while he was in there? Sorry, it just seems a waste to go in and not take everything out that needs to come out >and I just got the medical history from vet last week. My concern is >that he doesn't seem to have alot of energy. He'll check out the house Has there been a blood glucose test done on him to rule out Insulinoma? Sounds like it might be that, since it does go hand in hand with adrenal alot of the time. >enjoy it!) His energy level was also good before the dreaded addition >of the surgical collar, I'm hoping it just may take him a few days to get >used to that. He gets his stitches out on Tuesday, I will ask the vet Sorry, I think that using a surgical collar on ferrets is just so silly When stitches get chewed or come apart, my vet uses staples and that solves the problem to everyone's satisfaction. Your vet may also want to look at the glue that is available (works great!). >May I ask why he's on antibiotics? They are not normally given after >adrenal surgery, to the best of my knowledge (and experience, having Hmmm...anytime a ferret has surgery our vet always has them on 10 days of amoxi. If he's already nauseus from not eating, the bubblegum smell could be doing it (if that's what he is on). Hope he's doing better! Mary Mary McCarty-Houser, Director Pennsylvania Ferret Rescue Association of Centre County http://www.ferretrescue.com http://www.iGive.com/html/ssi.cfm?cid=9903&mid=114508 Date sent: Mon, 11 Dec 2000 12:25:11 EST From: EquineAmy@aol.com Subject: keeping ferrets entertained Hi everyone-  I too find that my three ferrets get bored with the toys that they have.  They have their own room (formerly a guest bedroom). I leave them out most of the day in their room adn their get locked in their cage at night. As often as possible, I bring them into my bedroom or into the upstairs hallway - with 100% supervision and they love it. I think it is kind of like cabin fever - they just need some changes - imagine you being allowed in only one square room all your life. I know that my guys love teh change - as a matter of fact, they often try to run out of the room that they are in. those smart little brains are saying - I know there is more out there - let me get to it. Good luck! -Amy Date sent: Mon, 11 Dec 2000 00:23:42 -0800 From: "Edward Lipinski" Subject: Mental Health: Your Ferrets and Yours, Too To DWall1008 and to others who feel stongly about mental health in our fuzzies: My name is Edward Lipinski. I have been operating a ferret shelter since 1981 within a rifle shot of the emerald city of Seattle. Consider the following few words about mental health: your ferrets and your own. Please let me suggest a means whereby the mental health and the physical health of fuzzies is highlighted by a simple home-made toy that not only gives one or more fuzzies simultaneously all the exercise the furballs can tolerate but also allows these shortlegged minicatz to "release" their inherent cat-like behavior of chase and capture, chase and capture, and chase and capture ad infinitum. This home-made toy can be made by almost anyone and is highly economical and long lasting. In addition it allows a ferret owner to evaluate the ferret's eyesight and responsiveness to unpredictable (to the ferret) movement, as would be the instance of a bird taking wing suddenly upon sensing the spring and ambush of a cat. This home-made toy brings out the latent "hunting instinct" of the ferret and in doing so certainly enhances the good mental health of the average ferret. In the younger ferret (kit and juvenile) the joyful mental health of the ferret is obvious as never before by the "tail flicking" of the concentrating ferret upon its "prey", the circular swinging hard rubber ball or LUMPSCHEW. And, in addition, the mental health of the owner of the ferret is indeed rejuvinated just by watching the ferret(s) during its chase, running, lunging at the circularly swinging chase "prey" ball or LUMPSCHEW. Any time I'm feeling blue and low down, all I got to do is set the "prey" ball to swinging and let the ferrets out of their cages and then stand back and just watch. I defy anybody, on watching his ferret at "chase," to be able to stifle even just a grin. They are absolutely hilarious to watch. If you want the plans and an illustration of this home-made ferret toy, please contact me by whatever means you want (email elipinski@juno.com) or through this mailing list, providing the moderator agrees. Yours in better mental health - not only your ferret's but yours too! Edward Lipinski Phone 206 232-1228. Ferret Endowment for Research, Rehabilitation, Education & Training Society, North West, aka F.E.R.R.E.T.S.,NW, or more simply: FNW Date sent: Tue, 12 Dec 2000 07:53:29 -0800 From: "Jim and Carol Illback" Subject: Mental Health: Your Ferrets and Yours, Too We tried several versions of the toy that Ed is likely referring to. When we had fuzzies we also had a glassed in deck that made it easy to attach things to the rafters in the ceiling and also provided plenty of swinging space. Basic idea is to suspend an object (such as Ed's LUMPSCHEW which is basically rawhide soaked in his LUMPS mixture--you can pay him for the recipe but your own variation is probably best for your own ferrets anyhow, depending on what glop they like when they are sick) from the ceiling. It should just clear the floor at its longest point. Your fuzzies will delight in chasing and catching and jumping etc. String or cord made the easiest swinging motion and was easiest to attach to the toy and ceiling. A synthetic 1/4" cord sold at a hardware store worked well for us. A neighbor had some for crabbing and gave us some when the clothesline cord we were using was seriously deteriorating under fuzzy attack. I think the ferrets liked the seawater smell too. We also tried a long length of sturdy 1" elastic purchased at a fabric store. The fuzzies liked that even better because they could really get ahold of the "prey" and wrestle with it. It was funny (but maybe dangerous) when they tried to drag the toy to their cubbyholes and were pulled back by the elastic. Also the elastic gradually stretched out and had to be retied repeatedly. We found a toy worked best for this, as the ferrets seemed frustrated when they could not "keep and chew" food. It you give them enough slack to hang on and settle in for a good wrestle and chew, then the swinging and chasing part of the game is over. Of course using a toy makes less mess too. You may want to buy Ed's Lumps or Lumpschews recipes but not for this purpose. Too messy. Trust me. Have fun! ---------------------- End of FAIML #489 ------------------------