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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2015 3:08:32 GMT -5
Ok everyone, meet my foster kid Mako. He's six and a half years old, has a mast cell tumor on his side, and an enlarged heart and on enalapril for it. He was returned back to the rescue after four years of adoption(previous owner could no longer take care of him). The day I went to pick him up from the rescue, he started having bleeding issues, so I left him there to be taken to the vet two days later. The owner of the rescue kept me updated on how he was and she told me the bleeding was from a very bad urinary tract infection, so he was put on clavamox (I believe). He was taken back to the vet later to get a check up on how the UTI was and it had been resolved, BUT because of his hind leg weakness and walking funny, he was checked for other issues. Come to find out, he has an enlarged heart and needed to be put on medication twice daily for it for the rest of his life. He weighed 2lbs 7oz when he first went to the vet, the second time he weighed 2lbs 1oz... down 6oz in a short amount of time. Well, since he's been with me, he's got very little appetite, sleeps a lot, and has walking issues because of the hind leg weakness. I weighed him tonight and he now weighs 1lb 7oz, which is extremely alarming to me, so I've got him on a 4 hour feeding schedule of duck/raw soup. Checking back with the rescue in the morning to see whether or not a vet visit will be made soon. But, here's some photos of him with my other kiddos and a video. ❤ Snuggling on my chest. ❤  In between Rowdy and Ladikin. ❤  Enjoying the freedom of not being caged. ❤  Playing in the peanut box with Sable. ❤  Snuggled with Sable. ❤  Laying in the carrier with Ladikin. ❤   @poncesmom Heather FireAngel |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2015 5:37:06 GMT -5
Bless his heart <3.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2015 7:10:32 GMT -5
What a sweet little boy. Thank you for bringing him home. I hope he has alot of time with his new loving family and friends. The pictures are wonderful. It makes me so happy that Rowdy, Sable and Ladikin accepted him and made him welcome.  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2015 7:15:36 GMT -5
I am so sorry the little one has health issues.Seems like a sweetie.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 4, 2015 11:09:42 GMT -5
If he is on heart meds, is he also on a diuretic? Fluid loss could account for some of the fast weight loss. He may also just need a hand eating until his heart meds really kick in. He is a good looking boy  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2015 14:03:35 GMT -5
If he is on heart meds, is he also on a diuretic? Fluid loss could account for some of the fast weight loss. He may also just need a hand eating until his heart meds really kick in. He is a good looking boy No ma'am, he's just on the heart meds for the moment. Up until yesterday afternoon-ish, he was eating semi ok, now he's refusing any food at all, been doing force feedings every 4 hours (on top of me being sick as a dog). He's been laying around, not doing much, he stares off into space for a bit, and just acts as if he's not well. Going up to the rescue now to have a glucose check done and see if he may possibly have insulinoma as well. He had quite a few health issues when first brought back to the rescue and no one wanted him, so I said I'd take him. He hated being caged and is quite happy free roaming with all my others, a lot less stressful for him. If it weren't for the fact that I had an uneasy feeling about Mako last night, I would've slept longer than I did, but he NEEDS food in his system right now, so syringe feeding it is until he goes back to eating on his own. He is however drinking water ok, just not doing much else. Positive thoughts needed right now, I brought him home with me so he could live out the rest of his days happy and not confined to a cage or stuck at the rescue again. My little ones have taken to him so well, especially my little girl Sable, she LOVES Mako. @poncesmom And thank you, he is a cutie and certainly a love. He's goofy too, he likes sleeping in the kid's peanut box.  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2015 14:04:51 GMT -5
abbeytheferret6 He is such a sweetie! Regardless of the health issues, he's very much loved in this home. ❤
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2015 14:07:17 GMT -5
What a sweet little boy. Thank you for bringing him home. I hope he has alot of time with his new loving family and friends. The pictures are wonderful. It makes me so happy that Rowdy, Sable and Ladikin accepted him and made him welcome. He is very sweet, everyone accepted him as soon as they met. Sable started playing with him immediately! He's definitely happier having the freedom he does now, just need to get him feeling better. Tagged you in another post on here of what has been going on as of last night.  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2015 14:17:22 GMT -5
I'm hoping that with his new friends and the feeling of being loved, his appetite will return some. He may have Insulinoma. The staring into space or blanking out is one sign. Trust your instincts. Our instincts are usually right about those whom we love. I'm sorry you aren't feeling well also. Maybe everyone can pile into bed with you. |
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Post by FireAngel on Sept 4, 2015 19:45:14 GMT -5
Awww he is handsome! I'm sorry you're not feeling well and have so much on your plate! Thank you for taking him in. I hope you are both feeling better very soon!
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Post by unclejoe on Sept 5, 2015 8:12:48 GMT -5
I'm assuming since he has been vetted he's had his glucose checked? Side effects of enalapril can include loss of taste and loss of appetite. I don't know how to fix that. Maybe the vet has some ideas. There may be another med that stimulates appetite.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 5, 2015 11:00:37 GMT -5
Poor lad. I am sure depression also plays it's own part as well, even if he IS happy rumbling about with your crew. Insulinoma wouldn't surprise me.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2015 18:36:30 GMT -5
Poor lad. I am sure depression also plays it's own part as well, even if he IS happy rumbling about with your crew. Insulinoma wouldn't surprise me. @poncesmom Heather FireAngel unclejoe I found out Friday that he has insulinoma everyone. I rushed him to the ferret rescue and they checked his glucose twice, first time was 50 and the second time was 53. I was sent home with Prednisone and some other meds for issues that may arise in the future. Since he's on enalapril, I was told to be careful with the Prednisone until I receive the diazoxide(which has less side effects combined with enalapril than Prednisone does). I'm no longer having to force feed, he's back to eating on his own and eating a lot! His stools are good, energy level is back to normal, and he's gained 14 grams since friday, it's not a lot, but it's something! I was also told to invest in a AlphaTRAK 2 meter to keep checking his glucose levels. I currently don't have the money to do that (but will in the near future), I've got a regular one that's the bayer contour brand. I know it probably won't do an accurate reading for an animal, but can I use that for the moment? I can get him taken to my vet and have a test done for $20, but I wanted to see what the difference was between a "human" meter and an animal meter. Insulinoma is very new to me, so any advice/experience would be great. And I'm feeling much better everyone, antibiotics are doing their job! |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2015 18:49:11 GMT -5
I'm sorry that Mako has Insulinoma. Managed carefully, he will still have alot more time. I linking a good thread on taking BG for you. I don't see anyone online that I know has BG meter know how. I'll post over at the FB page admin board. www.unc.edu/~pjdutche/bloodsugar/This one does mention the AlphaTrack but I'm linking it because it has a good method of testing. Here is a thread from our forum: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/13296/use-glucose-meterWhat our ferrents do is to buy a regular meter from a drugstore and then calibrate it to their vet's meter. They may charge you a small fee or hopefully not. The AlphaTrak is expensive and only sold in Vet offices. Your vet will make a profit. You can use a human meter. I just want to find someone who has more experience than I do with meters. I'm tagging unclejoe for you. |
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Post by Desiree on Sept 6, 2015 18:58:31 GMT -5
Hi! I have an insu girl too. I use walgreen tru meter made for humans. I took it to my vets and had them test using their machine and then took blood using my own and compared the numbers. So now I know that my machine read 13 points lower than normal. It's just a cheaper way of getting it done. Alpha track is what my vet recommeneded but with Rebel's meds and all the followup appointments, it just wasn't in the card for me to get it so I opted out. Once you get to know him and his moods and he seems to stabilize you can take his blood every day for a week and get a good set of numbers. Then you have a base number (even if its a little off) that way you know what to expect if you take it and it seems low, you can know how low based on the other readings. Oh and make sure to take it at the same time everyday. A good time would be 3-4 hours after eating.
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