Message Number: SG8906 | New FHL Archives Search
From: "katharine"
Date: 2004-05-24 10:46:25 UTC
Subject: Re: Nutritional Needs
To: "Ferret Health List" <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Message-ID: <001e01c4417c$5d05ae20$4b102cc7@D1CW2811>

Sorry, I couldn't keep the thread going. SmartGroups never, ever recognize=
s me as a member when I try to post from the website.

Gail wrote:
70-120 cc of AD will sustain a ferret, but not for a long time. You can
do the real BC gravy at the same amount and should be fine. I aim for
AT LEAST 70 cc of gravy or AD w/ nutrical a day with sick ones. My
personal ferrets get 35 cc of gravy a day if over 5, plus free feed
kibble. My young ones eat kibble, gravy, and raw meats. =

******
I have a ferret, Kingsley, who continues to lose weight. He is estimated a=
t about 6 1/2 y.o. I have had him since late November. He had a very succ=
essful PU (in December), and recently had a UTI. We treated with Baytril a=
nd Clavamox. He continues to dribble urine, apparently a common side-effec=
t of the PU. He has always been thin but recently has been getting thinner=
. When I hold him upright, I can visually count his ribs. I have been fee=
ding (for the last two weeks), a mixture of 1 can of Hill's feline I/D (tur=
key based), 2 jars of Gerbers lamb or veal, 2 ice cubes of Pedialyte, 2 ice=
cubes of pumpkin (to try to deal with his loose stools), 1T of Ferretone, =
and 1T of Dyne (high calorie supplement). I have been feeding him 80-120ml=
daily with a syringe (120ml over the weekend). He also will lick a little=
from the bowl when in my lap. He eats nothing on his own that I can see. =
Even if I leave some of the "slurry" in the cage, it is untouched. He is =
going back to the vet tomorrow for extensive testing to try to get to the r=
oot of his problem. We can give him appetite stimulants but my vet feels i=
t's important to find out WHY he's not eating willingly. My vet feels I am=
feeding him more than enough (at least to sustain his weight) but wanted o=
ther opinions. He currently weighs in at 1 lb. 7 oz.

Katharine
http://community.webshots.com/user/katharine524