From:
"scruffyou"
Date: 2003-04-13 13:16:21 UTC
Subject: hypo allergenic diet and RinkyDink (long)
To: <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Message-ID: <002d01c301be$e0283010$09c83842@GodsBox>
Hey Hey Hey,
First off, let me apologize for my poorly misworded first post on hypoaller=
genic diets. I believe Bonny was asking if there was a hypo allergenic foo=
d that was in kibble form. My intention was purely to inform that there wa=
s. =
The feline zd is a low allergy food. It is not hypo allergenic. However, =
the allergens are low enough that in most cases it will work very well with=
ferrets that have food allergies.
Tho ONLY hypo allergenic food, one that contains NO allergens, to the best =
of my knowledge is the canine ultra zd. In my first post I should have exp=
lained the distinction more clearly. I also should have explained that Rin=
kyDinks case was an extreme case and that the feline zd should be tried fir=
st as the better food for a ferret.
For those of you worried about RinkyDink and her diet, let me explain. Rin=
kyDink's disease was very severe when first diagnosed. Many foods were tri=
ed. We switched from a mix of totaly ferret, Iams kitten and Ultra Blend (=
the raisin one) to Eukanuba kitten to simplify her diet. That worked for a=
while, however, after a distemper shot she started reacting to that as well=
. Next we went to pure chicken baby food. One single ingredient. That wo=
rked for a little while but it did not take RinkyDink long to develop an al=
lergy to that also. For 4 months RinkyDink was kept alive via hand feeding=
s (forced) around the clock, pred, vitamin b shots and anti nausea meds. H=
er weight steadily decreased as did her interest in life and quality of lif=
e. In desperation, I traveled to a very good vet, recommended by a friend=
. The vet was 3.5 hours away and is now 5 hours away. RinkyDink was given=
a new regime and new lease on life. We tried the feline zd, upped the pre=
d., got 1/4 tablet pepcid ac daily, an allergy med that was also an appetit=
e stimulant ( sorry forget the name). This worked for a short time but the=
n she developed sensitivity to that food as well. RinkyDink was then put o=
n daily dex .3 per day and switched to the canine ultra zd and a meat (anyt=
hing other than chicken) food to supplement the protein. All other meds we=
re left in place. =
I went out and got a a good pork roast, ground it up and attempted a limite=
d ingredient Church's pork gravy :-} It was dang hard to make and lil Miss=
turned her nose up at it. She does however love ham baby food so that is =
what she gets. We are at a point now that she only requires .1 dex every 3=
days to maintain her. =
Her stools remain bad, they have never formed up but they no longer have wh=
ite solid mucus in them. She has had signs of adrenal which were controlle=
d with melatonin and light thereapy. Her health remains delicate but her q=
uality and longevity have amazed us. She was not expected to make it to 3 =
years old and almost did not make it to 2. She is now 4.5 years old. She =
is spunky, she war dances, she plays, she loves her special toys, really en=
joys her food and has a very special bond with her mom (probably cause she =
was sick so long). Her full story is found in the archives of this list un=
der RinkyDink. I did not and would not consider a canine food for a ferret=
except in desperation.
HappyTails,
Karen and the Scruff You Gang