So we have an appointment this coming Tuesday (27th) for Emile to have the 'nodules' the vet found on his pancreas, removed. For those who have had surgery done on their ferrets with Insulinoma, is there anything I should be prepared for post-op when we take him home? How did they recover? Were there any issues afterwards? Are there things I need to keep in mind when caring for him once he's home until he's fully recovered? Obviously I will have a "hospital cage" ready just for him when he comes home, to monitor his food/water intake and poop output, and keep the other ferrets from messing with the incision. My husband and I are just so worried about him, as he is almost 6 years old now. The vet says he'll be fine, but we still have "those thoughts".

I haven't and wouldn't do insulinoma surgery, but post-op, I would confine him to the cage or playpen for a couple days.  The primary concern is protecting the sutures. Best wishes

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

I have never and would never consider surgery for insulinoma. I have known to many people that lost ferrets after the surgery. Surgery is very invasive and they dont handle it well. Is he on pred? I think one mistake people make after surgery is stopping the pred. They have to be weaned off of it. I hope all goes well for your baby.

 
Fuzzbutts Rule!

Hmm, our vet advocates the surgery over long term medication, and seems to think Emile would be fine even at his age. Even on the Insulinoma info sheet on this forum it says "In an otherwise healthy ferret, the treatment of choice is surgery..." He is currently on 0.1 ml of pred twice a day. I'm sure he will want to keep him on the pred for a little bit after the surgery and slowly wean him off it. Our vet is extremely knowledgable in ferrets, and is the only 'state of the art' exotic vet in the entire state currently. He gave me 5 extra months with Bean, who was diagnosed with advanced heartworm disease. I trust our ferrets with him, I just hope Emile will pull through ok, especially for my husband's sake (Emile is 'his' ferret)

I think a lot of the reasons they don't do well is the not weaning them off the pred. They just stop it. I would think just in case they didn't get it all they would at least keep them on a lower dose. Please keep us updated. Will be praying for him.

 
Fuzzbutts Rule!

Well... today is the surgery. We leave in an hour or so. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers today :( I will update again once the vet calls us later today to let us know how everything went.

Sending lots of prayers for little one....

Best wishes for a successful outcome.  Give him kisses from us.

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

best of luck, hope everything goes well!

Heard from the vet yesterday after the surgery, and he said everything went fine and he was in recovery. Waiting for them to call me today with another update on him.

Great news....lets hope the recovery goes well for the little one.

thanks for updates

I'm glad he got through it ok.  How long will he be at the vet?

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

We actually just picked him up this morning! (he was ready to go yesterday, but when the lady called it was too close to their closing time and we wouldn't have made it lol). He was bright eyed and very inquisitive when we picked him up, something I hadn't seen for a while. He's got a wicked scar though lol yikes. Procedures done were: laparotomy, pancreatic nodulectomy, partial pancreatectomy and lymph node biopsies (which were enlarged). He's sleeping right now, going to be watching him closely for the next week. Attached a pic of him

Attached Image(s)

Awww poor baby.  I'm glad he's home.  As nasty as it looks those scars usually heal up nicely.  Since too many hugs are out for now, give him a kiss for me.

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

Hey guys! It's been quite a while since I've posted anything, but just wanted to give an update on Emile. He has been absolutely perfect since the surgery. No more lethargy, not a single 'episode', and is always bright eyed and active. He isn't on any medication either. I couldn't be happier with his progress. If any of you are in the south-eastern part of SC, I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Jose Biascoechea of Birds and Exotics Animal Care in Mount Pleasant, SC. He is absolutely wonderful and has been a blessing to us and our ferrets.