Insulinoma in Ferrets
Some of the symptoms to look out for are:
Should the blood sugar drop very rapidly, it could cause tremors or seizures. In severe cases, the ferret could go into a coma due to lack of glucose in the brain. If your ferret show signs of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), that is ... lying there limp and looking like it’s about to die (i.e. comatose) ... you MUST rub either honey or Karo (corn) syrup on its gums IMMEDIATELY. If you don't have either on hand, use Nutrigel (for Aussie ferret owners) but be aware that the sugar levels aren't as high. It might be an idea to keep a small jar of honey/Karo syrup in the cupboard, just in case! Not all ferrets show any sign of insulinoma and to find your ferret lying in a coma is a really frightening experience. It might take a while for the honey, or whatever you put on your ferret’s gums, to kick in but if you don’t do that, you can be assured that your ferret WILL slip off into a deep sleep and never wake up. When we found Muis in that state, it was the most frightening thing I have ever experienced because it happened out of the blue and so quickly. I wrote about it in my blog and because it was so unexpected, I really freaked out and thought we were going to lose her. It took about half-an-hour from the first rubbing of Nutrigel into her lips for her to open her eyes. That didn’t last long but it was such a hopeful sign. I put more Nutrigel on her gums and about half-an-hour after the second rubbing, she finally came to and looked “normal”! I gave her a saucer full of smoothy and she ate that up very enthusiastically, so I topped that up and she licked that all up too. After that she was completely herself and trotted down the corridor to join the rest of the gang in the chest of drawers. It really was incredible to see the difference – an hour ago she was at death’s door and then, after getting the Nutrigel on her gums, she managed to snap out of her coma and appeared perfectly normal! When I took her to my vet, she said that if animals have a drop in their blood sugar when they are asleep, they go into this comatose state so it’s IMPERATIVE to rub something sweet on their gums. Muis didn’t show any signs of insulinoma apart from one occasional a month earlier where she seemed unsteady but it lasted just a couple of minutes and then she was fine, without any help from Nutrigel. I had taken her to my vet and voiced my concerns about insulinoma but the vet thought that it might have been an epileptic fit, so I was to keep an eye out for any more occurrences. But since that one time, nothing else happened to make me worry until this. So, I cannot stress this enough. If you find your ferret lying like a limp, wet noodle with its eyes closed and breathing shallow, rapid breaths, grab one of the following - Karo, honey, Nutrical or Nutrigel – and rub a small blob on its gums ASAP and once it comes around, make sure it has something to eat (like the smoothy) to get it back to normal. Then get it to your vet as soon as you possibly can. There are various options for a ferret with insulinoma but be aware that a ferret with insulinoma cannot be cured. The disease can be controlled and hopefully will give your pet a good quality of life for as long as possible.
You can read more on Insulinoma in ferrets here ...
For more, read
Boe's Story.
DISCLAIMER: The information contained on this page is not meant to replace seeing a veterinarian if you think your ferret is ill. It’s only meant to supply general information on a particular illness which was obtained either from personal experience with my sick ferrets, or from books and/or the Internet. Return from Insulinoma in Ferrets to All About Ferrets
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