From: Lynn McIntosh [faiml@uswest.net] Sent: Saturday, October 16, 1999 10:12 AM To: mjanke@miamiferret.org Subject: (Fwd) FAIML #64; January 6, 1998 Forwarded message: From: Self To: @SENDLIST.PML Subject: FAIML #64; January 6, 1998 Reply-to: Lynn McIntosh Date: Tue, 3 Mar 1998 17:57:01 FAIML #64, dated January 6, 1998: Well, hello there! Here we are on a new home. The Internet Service Provider is called "Interact", so I was hoping that would appear in the address, but no go... just plain old "uswest". After some hair-pulling experiences I think I've got Pegasus tamed, if not trained. Ah yes, this isn't a computer group. The topic is adrenal and insulinoma disease. Just a short list tonight, to get us up and running in 1998 (and you won't hear me complaining, as I've been fiddling around so much with the nuts and bolts of things I'm worn out!). I think I've learned more this past week about computers, setting up mine, than in my whole lifetime of use! I hope the new year finds you all well, fuzzies especially. It's been quite a year. Anyway, I've been trying to figure things out on this computer for more than an hour, and I've had it. So, here goes and, fuzzy hugs as always! Lynn McIntosh 1. Reply: FAIML #63: Wally, diazoxide, whipping cream 2. Reply: Lysodren FAIML is a mailing digest list for support and information about adrenal and insulinomic disease. To post write "post" somewhere in your subject line. For all other reasons, just hit the reply button - this includes subscription questions/comments and personal messages! 1.-----------__---Forwarded Message---------------------- From: "Karen Purcell, DVM" Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 22:07:18 Subject: Reply: FAIML #63: Wally, diazoxide, whipping cream Lynn, > snip< >re: Wally > We've got him on sub-q fluids (a godsend of a technique > to learn for fuzzy parents!) and handfed turkey baby > food. > After a call to Cathy Johnson, DVM, he's been put on amoxicillin > today and tonight I put him to bed with his small, > rubber beach ball.. and he emphatically placed it > outside his bed... twice! And, he climbed right up onto > the lava bed (he has a choice to sleep on or off it, and > has pretty much ignored it, but this was deliberate).... > > Anyway, didn't mean to go into so much detail, but it > felt good! snip< Glad to hear the good news! > Have a wonderful week off, Dr. Karen! It was indeed wonderful, I am much rested despite the freneticChristmas need to see tons of relatives and friends in 1 week. Stephanie, > I have a couple of questions. The first is...what is > diaxodide? Diazoxide is given to ferrets with insulinoma to cause the body to release more glucose steadily when the insulin levels are keeping all the sugar sequestered. The > second is some of you use heavy whipping cream for your > ferrets--is this ok? Everyone I've talked to and > everything I've read says no milk products for ferrets! Yup, heavy cream is fine for beefing up skinny ferrets or as the occasional treat - I haven't noticed too much lactose intolerance in ferrets. Of course, any sign of diarrhea means no more dairy. >Melanie, > My Cassidy had surgery for insulinoma last week and the > vet couldn't find > anything to remove so we are back where we started. Has > anyone else had > this experience? This is not uncommon, as insulinoma tumors can be microscopic. Your best bet is to try pred therapy, try again later if needed. Dave and Pam, > Hi, just an update on how Rikki, my insulinomic ferret > has been doing. snip> Glad to hear how well Rikki is doing, and thanks for the real case info on health store helps for insulinoma. -Dr. Karen drkaren@world.std.com In memory of Freya and Muscatel, part of my life joyfully but not long enough. 2.-----------Forwarded Message --------------- Date: Thu, 1 Jan 1998 21:59:25 +0000 From: "Karen Purcell, DVM" Subject: Lysodren - emergency therapy Lynn, Sorry for the delay on this - I just found it in the 'to be answered' que. > > snip< > This is exactly what we've done for Wally when he was > exhibiting hind end > weakness and/or nausea. But I believe, for a fuzzy who > is near unconsciousness due to extreme toxicity, there > is some kind of injection > that can be given. I think it's prednisone, but it > seems my vet mentioned > something else (beginning with d...) It's buried > somewhere in one of my... oh wait... I remember where! > Dexamethodone! I think, for anyone just beginning > Lysodren, being equipped with the specific emergency > protocol recommended by their fuzzy vet would be an > excellent idea (in case they end up at an emergency > clinic). Do you recommend any additional > therapy for extreme toxic reactions that may occur in > the beginning of Lysodren therapy (or due to an > overdose, such as if two people unknowingly > gave a treatment to the same fuzzy on the same day)? What you are thinking of is dexamethazone, which is a corticosteroid that helps replace that lost by lysodren use. It kicks in faster than pred, but wears off faster. Therefore, most vets use dex in the beginning and pred for the long term. >> What would happen if a non-adrenal fuzzy (say one who >> appeared to have > >adrenal disease, but didn't) were treated with > >Lysodren? > > Depends on the fuzzy, but I would expect signs of > > weakness, lack > > of interest in life, decreased appetite, vomiting, > > diarrhea, etc. All this will stop once the meds are > > stopped and the adrenals are able to recover. > That's a relief. I'd venture a guess some prednisone at > this point would > help, too, to help boost the adrenal function. Only for a short time thought, the body is amazingly resilient. > snip< > I asked Cathy Johnson-Delaney, DVM, who was over > yesterday to giveWally > his second Lupron shot (and said his tumor was much > smaller!). She said > basically the same thing, and added that if the tumor > had reached the adeno-carcinoma stage that, well, > Lysodren may not stop it. > Wouldn't some suppression be better than none, though, > especially if clinical signs - hair regrowth, vulva > swelling decreased or nonapparent, > more energy - are good? You bet, especially as it makes the patient feel somuch better! I'm glad Dr Johnson-Delaney agrees, it helps if we are all using similar thought patterns on these issues. > Cathy says that adrenal tissue goes through three > stages, hyperplasia, adenoma, and adenoma-carcinoma. > Catching adrenal problems early on in the > game, then, seems very important. I recently got a back > issue of Modern > Ferret (#5) wherein the section "The Doctor Replies" is > an interesting reply by David Kupersmith, DVM, about > adrenal disease. He's responding to > a question "When treating hyperadrenocorticism, how > early is early?" I'll > just quote a couple lines from his answer: "To me, the > limiting factor is > the size of the normal adrenal gland. A normal ferret > adrenal gland is 2 > mm or less. An enlarged gland may therefore by as small > as 4 mm. This is > so small that the enlargement can be missed with an > ultrasonic exam if early in the course of the disease... > ... If I suspect an adrenal tumor, I > may have an owner come in for recheck exams on monthly > or bimonthly basis > until I feel the clinical signs are more likely to go > along with a detectable tumor... early is that point at > which I feel that I have a good > chance of locating the affected gland. In other words, > early is a subjective, not an objective, > interpretation." > I definitely agree. > But, then, there's the case where symptoms are ongoing > and multiple exploratories yield nothing! Where the > extraneous hormones seem to be caused by something else > than abnormal adrenal tissue... perhaps something > awry in the pituatary-hypothalamic feedback loop.. Also remember that many folk (Dr Williams, others) feel that there is adrenal tissue scattered throughout the abdominal tissues, and that may be why we can't find tumors where signs show one should be. Hope this helps, -Dr. Karen drkaren@world.std.com In memory of Freya and Muscatel, part of my life joyfully but not long enough. -----------------End of FAIML #64--------------