Continuing hind leg weakness and loose stools.

[EiraoLaska]

*Poop picture below*


This place has always been a great help for me and I'm hoping I can get some help again. I have a male ferret who is at least 4 years old. Back in September he was diagnosed with insulinoma and is on prednisone (I tried switching him to prednisolone but the pharmacy my vet uses doesn't have it). When his hind leg issues did not resolve and he began showing the fur loss pattern of adrenal disease he got a deslorelin implant back in March. 

He still has hind leg weakness. Before it would come and go, now it's constant. He can walk/run fine but has issues climbing and it's a big effort for him to get up on his hind legs. His blood sugar is at ~88mg/dL after a 4 hour fast. At this point I don't know what more to do to help this and am worried it might be something more serious. (Side note, he also has a chronic wheeze that we've never been able to treat and our vet is stumped. It seems to be all in his nose. This ferret is a dumpster fire of health issues)

He's developed chronic and worsening loose stools that come out with enough force to leave a rather long trail;


And this one is on the shorter side...

His main diet is Wysong Epigen 90 Digestive Support, with the occasional treat of salmon oil or whole raw eggs. He is still eating/drinking normally and very playful. He was showing some dehydration (testing using the skin turgor method) but this resolved after I started pairing his meds with kibble blended with water. 


Could this be an issue with the prednisone? He's due for a checkup soon for his insulinoma but with COVID I can't get him in as soon as I'd like. If there's any advice or information you guys can give me I'd really appreciate it!



 

[unclejoe]

Hi, sorry you're having these issues, but ferts can be like that. First, the pred. Could you get a written script for compounded prednisolone and bring it to a compounding pharmacy? then you could get it compounded with a flavor that might be easier to take. Just make sure there's no alcohol in the compound.
Blood glucose is ok. I have Abita on prednisolone for over 2 years now, and she's been a pretty good pooper all along. Now that she's almost 8, she is showing signs of age like not quite making it to the papers, leaving a trail and softer stools. I have had a few ferrets on both forms of pred and I can't relate explosive poops to it. That seems to be a digestive issue, related to gas. How long has he been eating the wysong, and how long have you had him? I'm trying to get a better idea of his age.

[EiraoLaska]

Hi Unclejoe! The pharmacy I use now is already a compounding one mixed with ferretone (It's Wedgewood if that means anything). I'll have to ask my vet if there's another option but he's also not eager to switch him since he's already doing well on the prednisone. I just worry it's not the best long term! I was hoping I could blame this on the prednisone to get him switched!

He's been on Wysong for 4 years now, which is also the how long we've had him. He was a rescue found in the woods and was estimated to be around 6 months old when we got him but it's hard to tell. He certainly behaved like a younger ferret then but his teeth age him closer to 7.