From:
Melissa Litwicki
Date: 2002-01-29 11:23:00 UTC
Subject: Re: PLEASE HELP ME SAVE MY FERRETS LIFE!!!!
From: "Cindy" <cjansa@f...>
> I brought home a new 7 week old baby boy last weekend and now my two
> older girls (Farrah-5 & Spaz-3) have come down with a severe case of
> ECE. My vet taught me how to administer sub-Q fluids, and has
> prescribed all the appropriate meds but I can't get Spaz to take any
> duck soup and I am afraid she is going to starve to death before I can
> get her over the illness. Her mouth is virtually clamped shut which is
> making it impossible to get any of the stuff in. When I squirt it in
> the corner of her mouth it just oozes out the side all over her face.
> She is wasting away before my eyes. She can no longer walk or even
> stand on her own!!!
Cindy,
Several things come to mind here. First, while your ferret is obviously
not wanting to eat due to being ill, will she show interest in any of the
treats she liked before getting sick? Ferretone, etc? If you can flavor
the soup with that, she might be more willing to take it. Have you warmed
up the soup? Also, try as many formulations of soup as you can.
Different baby foods, by themselves or with her ground kibble; chicken
soup broth (meant for humans, and often very salty, but my ferrets love
it) or chicken stock; heavy cream; cooked chicken pieces mashed into a
paste; canned cat food (I find Wysong brand *excellent* for this
purpose)...there are many many options that she might be willing to eat.
Second, try offering it in a number of different fashions. Most ferrets
will eat anything, even if sick, when you offer it to them on your
fingertip. Make the 'soup' very watery, stick your finger in it, and let
a drop fall into her mouth/onto her teeth where it might trickle into her
mouth. If she's not actively spraying the food out, you might have some
luck with this. You can also take the paste on your fingertip and rub it
along the outside of her teeth, which will press some into her mouth.
Last, and this sounds awful, you're bigger than she is, and can scruff her
gently to make it a bit easier to work the tip of a plastic eyedropper
into the side of her mouth and put a bit of food farther in. Not more
than a drop - if she aspirates it, that's bad - but what works for dosing
medicine also works for getting food into them. It sounds mean when
they're already sick, I know...
You also have the option of leaving her with the vet for intensive
supportive care - a warm pad in one's cage and different environment
sometimes serve to budge a sick ferret out of whatever cranky funk it's
gotten into at your place while you're trying to give it aggressive
nursing care. Sick ferrets can and will get mad at you for doing your
best to try and help them, and that only widens their stubborn streak...
In the past, turning feeding into a special and gentle together time
rather than a "I HAVE to help you" time has worked wonders. A quiet
corner, a blanket in my lap, a bowl of warm duck soup, and an encouraging
tone of voice all help greatly.
Melissa