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Diabetes Mellitus translates to “sweet urine” as in Greek the words mean “to flow” and “honey”.
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Diabetes Mellitus in ferrets is caused by an inadequate production of insulin. It is rarely a primary problem but can be a secondary problem related to the removal of insulinomas, especially where numerous tumor nodules are found in the pancreas.
Affected ferrets show the following symptoms:
frequent piddling, with large volumes of urine- excessive thirst
- abnormally high levels of glucose
- loss of body condition
If your ferret has been diagnosed with this, it can be treated with injectable insulin twice a day.
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You can read more on Diabetes Mellitus in Ferrets on these sites …
Diabetes Mellitus in Ferrets (PetMD)
Diabetes in Ferrets (WagWalking.com)
Histopathologic lesions of diabetes mellitus in a domestic ferret (The Canadian Veterinary Journal) (Technical paper)
Insulin glargine treatment of a ferret with diabetes mellitus by Laurie Hess, DVM, DABVP (Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association)
Diabetes Mellitus (Sugar Diabetes) (LBAH) – this is about dogs/cats but since the symptoms in ferrets are the same, it might be useful to some
You can download a pdf called “Diabetes In Ferrets – Know the signs, treatment and prognosis for ferrets with diabetes” by Sandra Mitchell, DVM, DABVP HERE.
(Last updated November 2019)
DISCLAIMER: The information contained on this page is not meant to replace seeing a veterinarian if you think your ferret is ill. It’s only meant to supply general information on a particular illness which was obtained either from personal experience with my sick ferrets, or from books and/or the Internet.
