From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2004-06-18 21:44:45 UTC
Subject: RE: Update on obese ferret - help!
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <2809392.1087595085615.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
> > Has anyone ever heard of a ferret with thyroid issues?
> Yes, but it's extremely rare. I also have to ask, why is he considered overweight at a little over three pounds? Is he a very small ferret?
Agreed.
(We DO have a small one like that, BTW, a rescue who seems to have been stunted by a very hard first few months.)
In humans there is a syndrome which can happen with repeated dieting in which th ebody finds it harder and harder to drop weight. The body actually becomes more and more efficient in the use of calories. Among humans such individuals can actually lose only very little with diets but then will regain it faster (sometimes with extra) when the diet ends. Exercise is more effective then.
Also, is it that the weight is too much OR that the fat level is too high while the muscle level is too low? In such a case the weight numbers should be ignored while exercise is increased. MUSCLE TISSUE WEIGHS 8 TIMES WHAT FAT TISSUE DOES FOR THE SAME SPACE OCCUPIED which is why we human women can build muscle tissue with real lifting and have our dress sizes go down a few numbers while not weighing any less.
Exercise is often a much better choice than dieting, but that varies a lot among individuals.
I might have forgotten; for how long has this effort been going on? How much food is the ferret eating? How much supplementary food (gravy, soup, baby food, treats, etc.)? How much in treats?
How much exercise are you talking about?
Individuals vary in their ability to gain muscle mass. This is especially true if they have not been physically active. Such individuals will take longer before their bodies catch on and begin getting more muslce tissue. Others can gain muscle mass rapidly, esp. true if they have been muscular in recent years.