Hi all, 

Meet Loki. Some of you may already know her, but Loki is a 5-year-old ferret with a lot of mischief in her heart (well, a standard amount for a ferret, really), a love of all things crinkly, and a long-suffering patience for bath time. 

A few weeks ago, Loki abruptly became lethargic. Before long, she got wobbly and weak in the back legs, and within a few minutes she began to show signs of muscle stiffness and disorientation. A rushed trip to the emergency vet and several terrifying hours later, Loki was diagnosed with insulinoma.

For any who aren't familiar, insulinoma is an unfortunately all-too-common disease for ferrets, especially in the US. It's a condition caused by tumors on the pancreas that cause a ferret to produce too much insulin, which lowers their blood sugar to dangerous levels. 

The emergency vet put Loki on prednisolone to help stabilize her insulin levels and she went home to recover. There have been a lot of ups and downs since then with dialing in a medication dose, managing her symptoms, making sure she eats and drinks regularly, preventing crashes, and following up with an exotic pet specialist to figure out treatment options. 

Right now, there's a lot that we don't know. We know she still has a good quality of life right now, but we also know that her symptoms have progressed even just in the last few weeks. This has meant more medicine, more emergency medical care, and more vet follow-ups. Which, of course, has also meant a lot more money. 

The next steps are finding out what her treatment options are. Medication can help slow symptoms for a while, but Loki's x-rays also showed an enlarged heart, and prednisolone can worsen heart conditions. For now, she's also on pimobendan to help treat any early-stage heart disease, but either way, medication is not a forever-solution for her. The best options involve either surgery (which, if successful, is a cure), or taking a biopsy of the tumor (or tumors) she has to develop what is effectively a vaccine to help her body fight back. We don't know if she'd be a good candidate for surgery, how many tumors they are, how spread out they might be, etc. Tests are the only way to find that out.

Unfortunately, even just the testing is expensive. Good exotic vets are a rarity, and finding the ones who can read and diagnose a ferret's tests is a challenge. She has some great doctors available, but just this step is about $1800, on top of the money already spent on her emergency care. Even once that's done, it's not clear yet how much a procedure would cost, so the charges don't stop there. 

So, we've decided to ask for help. I know times have been rough for a lot of folks lately, but every little bit would be a huge step toward getting Loki the care she needs. With enough money, the vet can get more information and help us understand what her best options are. Or, if it comes down to it and raising enough for her tests isn't in the cards here, any money raised can go toward relocating her (and her bonded brother Clover) to a rescue that can provide her the medical care she needs. 

We know we've got the good fortune of having a wonderful community of friends and loved ones, and no matter what, it's been a buoy in rough seas to see so many folks rooting for a little fuzzy noodle who is determined not to slow down. If you have a few bucks to spare, it would mean the world to us to be able to get her moving on the next steps toward a possible cure. If you don't, no stress, we get it. Sharing word around would be a massive help, if you can. We'll keep everybody updated here on Loki's condition and any news from the vet.

Thank you so much for your support and for cheering on the little one.