the older ferret: buddy, what big eyes you have

Around November 2007, I noticed that his eyes just didn’t look right — they were bulging. A visit to the Vet — where an ultrasound was preformed on both eyes — revealed nothing unusual. It was inconclusive as to the cause, however thought to be a brain tumor. The treatment was Prednisolone eye drops three times a day in both eyes and observation.

At this time, I learned that he has cataracts (unrelated to the bulging condition).

His eyes never did go back to normal. Some days they look worse than others, but he never complains. I continue with the drops.

A note about Buddy’s adrenal tumors: Surprisingly, they have shrunk some. Can’t complain about that.

the older ferret: a little health history on buddy…

Buddy is now seven and a half. He is our first and oldest. He has always been the leader and the intelligent one. For the past year, he has grown into a very mellow ferret. He no longer seizes for mad dashes up the stairs when I turn my back. However, he is still as smart as he ever was and still comes when I call him. During scoot time (play time), he moseys around the house quite content with himself.

Several years back, he was diagnosed with adrenal tumors — adrenocortical disease (ACD). As part of Dr. Wagner’s studies, he was injected with a slow release implant of Deslorelin. The growth of the tumors did continue slightly in recent years, but the symptoms of adrenal disease were controlled.

You can read more about early adrenocortical disease research here.

Also with age, he has insulinoma. For this I give him oral Prednisolone — 0.5ml twice a day.

I will post more on both adrenocortical disease and insulinoma.