From:
pjdutche@email.unc.edu
Date: 2003-04-30 19:11:02 UTC
Subject: RE: Making sure he eats - need help!
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <1502324.1051729862559.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
<< So my questions are 1) what can I do to make sure he eats and 2) should I just start treating him like he has insulinoma and get him on medication (and if so what kind)? >>
Pam,
The only way I know of to make sure they eat is to cave in and feed him the soft food a few times a day. Although I've occasionally had ferrets that would eat kibble from my hand when they wouldn't eat it from a bowl, they would never "fill up" on it and would also just start stashing it rather than eating it. I know it's a bit of a pain, but these frequent high protein meals are so helpful with sick ferrets... You can try mixing ground kibble in, in the hope that he'll start munching on his own in his "spare" time.
For some unknown reason, my sickly ferrets - the ones who get addicted to soft food - will go through changes in tastes for different kinds of kibbles. They eat a bit more on their own if I leave a variety of kibbles out in different bowls (ie, not mixed together).
There is an excellent chance that if his lack of appetite, etc, is being caused by low blood sugar, that if you start him on pred and he feels better, he'll go back to eating kibble on his own.
On the second question, I'd feel better about starting on meds for insulinoma with at least one low blood sugar from a blood test. It's probably insulinoma, especially given the earlier response to food, but it's better to start with a known number. That way, you're sure you're treating the right problem, and also, then you will have a concrete way to evaluate the success of your treatment. Ferrets so often have multiple problems and general signs like lack of appetite, weak hind end, etc. At least if blood sugar problems are in the picture, you have one variable you can use to evalute how it's really going...
HOpe that helps a bit, best wishes,
-Pam S.