Insulinoma in the ferret: clinical findings and treatment comparison of 66 cases

The clinical signs and surgical findings were reported for 66 ferrets with insulinomas confirmed histologically. All of the ferrets were treated with one of three modalities, and disease-free intervals and survival times were gathered to determine the most effective treatment. The three treatment groups included 10 ferrets treated medically, 27 ferrets treated with pancreatic nodulectomy, and 29 ferrets treated with pancreatic nodulectomy combined with a partial pancreatectomy. The mean disease-free intervals for each group were 22, 234, and 365 days, respectively. The mean survival times for each group were 186, 456, and 668 days, respectively. Based upon the data, recommendations were made for treating insulinoma in the ferret.