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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2015 19:04:18 GMT -5
So sorry Mako has insulinoma, but it is no longer a death sentence, with proper treatment they can live up to 3 years after diagnosis. My Vet also wanted me to get the alphatrak 2 meter, it was $80 from what I found. But I just use a True2Go, take it to your Vets office and have him use his meter and your meter (whatever meter you buy is just fine) and test his BG at the same time. If his says 50, and yours says 40, then every time you test his with your meter, add 10. That's how you calibrate it. I'd like to invest in an alphatrak, once I have some extra money I want to order it, since it doesn't have to be calibrated and it will likely last much longer than the True2Go, but honestly any meter is just fine so long as it is calibrated.
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Post by FireAngel on Sept 6, 2015 20:30:22 GMT -5
Aww I'm sorry he has insuloma but I'm glad you were able to get him treated quickly, I'm sure he will do much better now with the proper treatment. I'm also glad others have chimed in about the treatment and diagnoses since I have no first hand experience with it and while I could spout you what I've read here and other places I think it's always better to get it from someone with first hand experience. I'm so glad you're feeling better too! You need to stay well!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2015 14:11:56 GMT -5
@poncesmom Heather FireAngel Desiree @julesalot Sorry everyone for the lack of posts, Mako has been taking a lot of time from me, he's on four different meds now, soon to be five. He's taking diazoxide amd prednisolone for the insulinoma, and enalapril and pimobendan for his heart, and since pred is rough on the tummy, he's going back on carrafate. His glucose was tested yesterday and was still at 53, my regular meter showed 41, so it's a 12 point difference. The owner of the rescue told me to up his pred to .6cc and give .25cc of diazoxide for now, then in two weeks we'll see how he's doing. He's at least eating better and a little more active. And I do plan on getting an alphatrak meter soon, found one (the kit) for about $57, so I'm getting that and it'll be MUCH easier to do his blood that way, than my bayer contour next meter. Mako is still very bony, we're trying to get the right mix of meds to balance him back out and get weight on him.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2015 15:57:05 GMT -5
Sweet little Mako. I'm glad you are on top of his meds. It will really help him feel better and hopefully you will have alot more time with him. Please keep posting when you can. I want to know he is okay and it sounds like he is in really good hands with you.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2015 14:35:44 GMT -5
@poncesmom Yes ma'am, I have to be. He needs them or he won't be here for long. :/ Ok, I fed Mako between 10:30 and 11:30 this morning and I just took his glucose. I can't get enough blood with the poker, so I clipped a small part of the quick(didn't even phase him) and got a result. My meter shows 40 and it's 12 off from the rescue, so his glucose is 52 at the moment. It was 53 when we were at the rescue Friday. He got his meds this morning at 10. Enalapril-.2cc Pimobendan-.2cc Prednisolone-.6cc Diazoxide-.25cc I'm doing meds when it's time and syringe feeding soup, is there anything else I need to be doing to get his glucose up or is it just wait and see with the meds? ? And when I did the poker to get his blood, he peed on me the first time, then the second time he pooped on me. He wasn't a happy camper with the poker.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2015 15:24:49 GMT -5
@poncesmom Yes ma'am, I have to be. He needs them or he won't be here for long. :/ Ok, I fed Mako between 10:30 and 11:30 this morning and I just took his glucose. I can't get enough blood with the poker, so I clipped a small part of the quick(didn't even phase him) and got a result. My meter shows 40 and it's 12 off from the rescue, so his glucose is 52 at the moment. It was 53 when we were at the rescue Friday. He got his meds this morning at 10. Enalapril-.2cc Pimobendan-.2cc Prednisolone-.6cc Diazoxide-.25cc I'm doing meds when it's time and syringe feeding soup, is there anything else I need to be doing to get his glucose up or is it just wait and see with the meds? ? And when I did the poker to get his blood, he peed on me the first time, then the second time he pooped on me. He wasn't a happy camper with the poker. Aww...tell Mako that no one likes getting pricked. Medical questions are not my strong suit. I've been fortunate so far and mine are all still young. We lost Ponce to Lymphoma before I had time to learn to manage his Insulinoma. I am babysitting Julesalot's 2 ferrets. Caillou is on Pred and Carafate. So, I'm learning. His BG remains around 90. He gets fed 4 times a day and has access to food all of the time. He gets his meds 12 hours apart. I've also learned to dip the syringe into his food first and that's his first taste so the Carafate goes down easily. With the Pred. I dip his syringe into fish oil and tap the oil off. He smells the oil and holds still for the Pred. I'd call your vet and look at increasing his dosage. I'll also tag Sherry and Heather for medical advice for you.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2015 19:18:39 GMT -5
@poncesmom Mako gets all of his meds 12 hours apart. He has to stay on all four permanently. I was doing oil with his meds, but the owner of the rescue said not to mix oils with them, so I put his meds in a soup and syringe it in his mouth, he takes it no problems. Mako is my first insulinoma ferret and it's overwhelming. I've got the right medications to get him "normal", but I just don't feel like I'm doing enough to bring his glucose up. It's still low, 52 actually. I'm giving meds at the right times, giving food every few hours, and I still don't think I'm doing all that I can. I literally feel like I'm fighting a losing battle right now.
Well, I'm fostering Mako. So, I'd have to call the vet that the rescue uses, they pay all his medical and medication bills. I did speak with the owner of the rescue earlier after getting Mako's glucose result and she said up the diazoxide to .5cc. We were doing .25 to start, but she said up it to .5cc because he's still in the 50s. :/ He's been at 53 since we first found out he had insulinoma.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2015 9:21:53 GMT -5
It is a bit overwhelming. I understand that and it's sad. We want them to have as much time as possible. I don't mix the oils but that's good to know. All I do is to dip the syringe in and then tap the oil off the syringe so it smells like oil. If Mako is taking his meds well, then keep doing what you're doing.
His BG does seem a little low. I'll mention it on the admin boards and get someone with alot of experience to post for you. :wave3:
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Post by Sherry on Sept 22, 2015 10:25:05 GMT -5
Our Willow had pancreatic lymphoma, and should have been gone in 3-4 months from severe seizures. We had her with us for a year, and seizure free by splitting her doses. Granted for Willow we had the opportunity to medicate several times a day(split meds to 6 doses daily). With your little one splitting his pred and diazoxide to 3 doses daily may help give better control. Take your total amount of pred(1.2, or .6 twice a day), and give that at .4 3X a day. For the diazoxide(1m, or .5 2x a day) would be either .3 twice a day and .4 once Or else .4 twice a day, and .2 once. I found it helps keep the bg more stable, not allowing any spikes or dips to occur
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2015 23:39:38 GMT -5
Our Willow had pancreatic lymphoma, and should have been gone in 3-4 months from severe seizures. We had her with us for a year, and seizure free by splitting her doses. Granted for Willow we had the opportunity to medicate several times a day(split meds to 6 doses daily). With your little one splitting his pred and diazoxide to 3 doses daily may help give better control. Take your total amount of pred(1.2, or .6 twice a day), and give that at .4 3X a day. For the diazoxide(1m, or .5 2x a day) would be either .3 twice a day and .4 once Or else .4 twice a day, and .2 once. I found it helps keep the bg more stable, not allowing any spikes or dips to occur The rescue I fostered Mako from suggested doing the medication like that if the twice a day didn't help. I may switch to that soon, depending on his glucose results tomorrow. I'm out of strips for my meter and picking up some tomorrow, or else I would've tested tonight. I'm REALLY hoping his glucose levels are up, but we'll see. His weight has went down a bit, he weighed 792g ( 1lb 7oz ) on the 13th, but tonight his weight is 750g or 1lb 6oz, so he's down 42g since the first weight mentioned. I've been doing 90-120ccs of soup a day and he's eating no problems, but with the weightloss, I'm probably going to add in carnivore care to see if that'll put meat on his bones. He stays hydrated, is a bit more active now, has plenty of places to sleep(he hates cages), so he's free roam with my others and it's taken a lot of stress off of him, which is probably best with his heart problems. Anything else I can do to help with his weight or any other advice on the insulinoma? I'm in contact with the rescue, but every little bit of information helps.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 25, 2015 10:41:28 GMT -5
TBH if he is still quite active, I'd not worry about that small a weight loss. Especially as he has an enlarged heart.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2015 11:29:09 GMT -5
Sherry Yes ma'am. He is pretty active, he was this morning playing in tubes, peanut bins, boxes, and shaking egg toys I have. The rescue suggested giving probiotics to restore gut bacteria because the meds are harsh on the stomach, so I'm getting those mailed to me.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2015 15:05:37 GMT -5
Fantastic news everyone! I got new glucose strips today and tested Mako's glucose and he's up in the 70s!! It was 61 on my meter and it's 12 off from the rescue's, so it's at 73 right now! This is probably the best news I could've had today! ❤❤❤ I finally feel like I'm getting his insulinoma somewhat under control. @poncesmom Sherry Desiree @julesalot FireAngel
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2015 15:18:08 GMT -5
Hooray! That is very good news.
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Post by Desiree on Sept 25, 2015 18:15:39 GMT -5
YAY!
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