From: Lynn McIntosh [faiml@uswest.net] Sent: Saturday, October 16, 1999 10:12 AM To: mjanke@miamiferret.org Subject: (Fwd) Adrenal List #50 Forwarded message: From: Self To: @SENDLIST.PML Subject: Adrenal List #50 Reply-to: Lynn McIntosh Date: Wed, 25 Feb 1998 19:16:30 From: Lynn Mcintosh To: Adrenal Group -- Amy Cada , AndresenK@aol.com, Angel Howse , Anthony.Mastropolo@sandoz.com, beek@feist.com, Beth , "Brian L. Schmidt" , Cat13Dog5@aol.com, Chris & Shelley Knudsen , CORNDOG614@aol.com, dadams@dzn.com, Dave and Pam Taynor , Dixie Carter , Diana Ashton , Ela_Heyn@notes.pw.com, Ellen Jensen , ferreton@pond.com, ferretwise@top.monad.net, ferts@telusplanet.net, gabby , Gary Holowicki , Jan3GDFA@aol.com, Jason & Alison Overstreet , JC2109 , "Jeffrey Veiss (CTG)" , Jennifer Skeem , Jennifer_Morlanne@email.fpl.com, "Jerry O. Stern, MD" , Jim Dunn , Joanne Gelormino , Joerg Drobniewski , Juliana Quadrozzi - GA Domestic Ferret Association , kammee@juno.com, "Karen Purcell, DVM" , karen wisniewski , lbarber , Lee McKee , Lisaferets@aol.com, Lorraine Tremblay , lotaweasel , lynda@flinthills.com, MADWAH@aol.com, Margaret Lehman , "Mary L. McCarty" , "Michael F. Janke" , Monica Maples , Pam Franklin , Pam Franklin , Patricia Curtis , Rick Riley , ROCHELLE@art.fss.buffalo.edu, Sburbine@aol.com, sterling , TMccabe453@aol.com, Tobibags@aol.com, TrinaSing@aol.com, Troy Lynn Eckart , "Valori K. Blank" , Vicky James , Vikki Mick Subject: Adrenal List #50 Hi there! A happy post about our Wally appears at the end. A few notes up top though. Margaret Ann and Scott Lehman are members of this group, and they were out in Seattle here for a day, far from Hendersonville, North Carolina!! (For Florida Carin: I said hi to them :). We had a nice dinner at my home and they got a good fuzzy fix. They were even gracious about riding around in my Datsun 210 (old but great), though Scott may have to see a masseuse after cramming himself in the back (it's 2-door to boot). Jill: Margaret and Scott may be able to help your fuzzies beat the winter cold. They sell nice ferret gear, some handmade, and I hope Margaret Ann or Scott will post here about their lava beds (or contact them at the "cyberjoc" address in the list). I looked all over for one (after Margaret Ann had told me how it helped her Gizmo after adrenal surgery, but before they sold them) when Percy had his surgery, but to no avail as they've been discontinued in retail stores. Margaret Ann had told me about how she'd used one for Gizzie's adrenal surgery. They're beds that are popped in a microwave and then stay warm for about eight hours! A vast improvement over heating pads, which aren't real safe but can be better than nothing. I think they sound like great things to have on hand for adrenal kids following surgery, or any serious surgery for that matter! --By the way, I'm not getting a cut ;) Troy Lynn: I hope Gizzie is doing well after her allergic reaction to Lysodren, and you were able to start her on half doses of Lysodren safely. Thanks for your response to my question of whether anyone had seen a tumor as big as Wally's, though I hope Wally fares a bit better! Dixie: Glad to hear an update on Nickodemus, and that he's still hanging in, if needing help. I've been monitoring our kids' weights regularly for more than a year, and it comes in very handy if one falls ill. Also, keeps me from worrying, say when a galoot like Petey puts on his annual weight gain of one pound in the course of only one month (!!), and sheds it in the spring just as quickly! We're garage sale hounds and got a great scale for a couple bucks. It goes up to 25 pounds and we use part of a salad spinner for the basket. It's some kind of kitchen scale, I suppose, and similar models are probably lolling in thrift store shelves. Of course when I do get a weight done at a clinic it really varies from my scale's reading, and from clinic to clinic as well, vastly, but my little scale is consistent enought to track trends. Anyway, more than enough of my lip flapping! Oh, no. One more thing. I got a rinky dinky microscope from Radio Shack and we cleaned everyone's ears (using a tad of olive oil to loose things up). Eagerly I scanned the "pickings" and YUKKK! There they were. Round things with multiple fat crablike claws working up front and a long snakey double tail weaving in back... as they slurped through the oil. Egads. Mites. I suspected... as recently Tarzan had been rubbing his ear on the ground while thumping his back foot (which he does when he's getting tickled having his ears cleaned). Wally was scratching his ears, too. There weren't many mites, thank the heavens, but each was uniquely grotesque. The ear dirt, on the other hand, looked like illuminated brown, red, and green stained glass... very pretty... :) all fuzzies have been treated. Okay, enough. Fuzzy hugs as usual, Lynn Adrenal List #50, dated October 15, 1997 1. Update: Gizzie's Reaction to Lysodren; Reply: Wally's Big Tumor 2. Re: Adrenal kids during winter/Please Post 3. Pet scale 4. Timmy's Total Tonic finally available! :) 5. Wally's Better and Getting Furry!!!! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 8 Oct 1997 08:49:13 -0600 From: Troy Lynn Eckart Subject: Update: Gizzie's Reaction to Lysodren; Reply: Wally's Big Tumor Hi All - Well..... Dr.Dutton responded and said he'd experienced a reaction in one ferret. They halved the dose and slowly weaned the ferret on to Lysodren. I have the 1/2 dose sitting on my counter. I'm afraid to try it. I will do it, of course, but I need to get my nerve up. I'll dose Gizzie with Benadryl 30 minutes before I give him the Lysodren. I actually gave him the Benadryl last night but chickened out.... God I love that little guy and don't want to hurt him but doing nothing will hurt him in time. Lynn - I've known of two tumors such as you described. Mark's Buddy had one and his vet was able to get most all of it. Buddy is gone now but did recover from surgery and had some quality time before he left us. The other was Quinn. He was rescued out of an aquarium in the hot sun at a garage sale by a caring person. She had him almost a year and he started getting very fat in the tummy area. There were other symptoms as well. She couldn't afford vet care for Quinn so FFS agreed to cover the costs of the initial vet visit, blood tests, and surgery if needed. Our vet, Larry, said surgery was indicated so Quinn was scheduled for surgery. When Larry got in there he started to remove what he could but then saw how extensive it was and called the girl. They talked and decided to let Quinn go. I did see the tumor as Larry removed it after Quinn left us. It was huge and in several large pieces. Hugs to all. tle 2.---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 08 Oct 1997 10:44:04 -0700 From: Anonymous Subject: Re: Adrenal kids during winter/Please Post Hi Lynn & Adrenal People, This will be my first winter with an adrenal person. We don't have forced air or central heating just a wood stove. My question is how do you keep the fuzzbutts warm that have very little hair? My little EB's tail is like a tiny ice cycle. I am in Northern Ca Ca Land it rains and I don't believe the temperatures get below freezing to often. We do start a fire when we get home from work which burns all night long, but by mid afternoon the next day it is pretty cold in this old barn. Prior years I used a reptile warmer (little heating pad for reptiles) but she never slept near the pad and I have a fear of the pad being a fire hazard. So in my opinion she never took advantage of this pad, so I am not so sure about getting another one for this winter. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanking you in advance. Hugs to all the poor little sick ones out there, you are in our prayers every night. Louise, I started EB on Noni about a month ago I have not seen the results you have, consider Ali very lucky. EB's vulva has not reduced in size and she is still losing hair rapidly, but we are optimistic and will continue to take our Noni every morning. I am also giving Noni to Fiona who has insulinoma and I have seen a large improvement in her activity level and attitude. Jill Owned By Rupert, Fiona & EB 3.---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: 10 Oct 1997 23:54:52 -0000 From: dervish@scrye.com Subject: Pet scale I want to monitor Nickodemus's weight and I tried to go buy a baby scale as my doctor recomended but all the baby places don't carry them anymore. It seems that if you want to weigh your baby you have to take it to the doctor. The only place that had one was a medical supply store and it was $200+. I didn't order it. I need an alternative or a mail source. I even called RC Steele a pet everything supplier and they don't know where to get a cat scale. Update: Nickodemus is sleeping alot now. He is still eating and peeing ok. He drinks alot of fluids. My vet has called some of the Vena Cava experienced vets in preperation for Nick's next surgery. I get two weeks off for Christmas holiday and I'm hoping I can afford the surgery then and get to watch my baby closely. I really like hearing about everyones little adrenal kids so keep up the writing. It helps us all to know what's happening. I'm surprised at how easy Faith took her surgery. Nickodemus was out of it for quite a while. My Best wishes to all the adrenal kids and there parents -Dixie Carter 4.---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 03:10:44 -0700 From: Gary Holowicki Subject: Timmy's Total Tonic finally available! :) Hello friends! As the subject line says, the re-creation of the original tonic that was used by Timmy during his healing from his "terminal lymphoma" is finally here. The details are on the latest recipe, on Timmy's web page: http://www.concentric.net/~Gferret/ I fully give credit to Devine guidence in a chain of several events that have led this to happen in the three year quest since the company that made the original tonic went out of business. I haven't had time to update the FAQ on Timmy's tonic & recipe, that will come. I think it's time for sleep, so take care all:) Sincerely, Gary & the gang of fur Timmy's web site= AOL "instant Message" ID=garyferret 5.---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 03:10:44 -0700 From: Lynn McIntosh Subject: Wally's Better and Getting Furry!!!! Hi there! It's nice to hear from some of the familiar voices on this list, as usual. :) I just want to let you all know that Wally came through his spell grandly. We took him off Lysodren for five days (rather than the two days off he normally has) and gave him prednisone and carafate (new prescription for ulcers because he was vomiting). Though he was falling over, had lost four ounces, and was vomiting, he is now back to rough housing, has gained back all the weight (I began feeding him along with Janos' feedings, to make sure he was getting plenty of gentle turkey soup, which Janos makes and all our fuzzies love), and is sprouting hair all over his back and his tail! Even his tummy and chest has hair coming in. The hair on his back looks like a strong winter coat, very full and covering every centimeter that was bald! Okay, it could be seasonal, but we're hoping not! Palpating the tumor (the golf-ball to racketball sized tumor, tubular in shape), I swear it feels thinner and more ropey, but amn't sure... (like my dad says, amn't isn't a word but it's a good word!) Anyway, I wish we'd had a vet that prescribed lysodren when Percy was ill... :( but that can't be changed. And one never knows the outcome of an if... But boy am I glad to see old Wally looking kittenish again and feeling his little oats! It's interesting that Wally's reaction came after five days of Lysodren, so I'm guessing it took longer than usual for him to build up a toxic reaction. He's been on (for six weeks) a three day on, two off protocol of Lysoren, to avoid him experiencing the crash that some ferrets have when first placed on Lysodren. We give the prednisone tablets as little as possible. Fuzzy hugs, Lynn Mc. & Gang ------------------------End of Adrenal List #50-----------------