From:
"Sue Liszewski"
Date: 2004-07-04 04:32:31 UTC
Subject: RE: [ferrethealth] RE: ECE, eating, and hydration question
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <BAY15-F32WEqd60Y5I60008bc17@hotmail.com>
We often do recommend a fast in general for many animals to rest the
intestinal tract and allow it to heal, well in ferrets their tract is much
faster and die to the high energy demand I don't do it. I only do it if
they are being supplemented by other means (other then by mouth), for dogs
or cats I will often do a 24 hour fast, less likely in ferrets and if we do
it is short Max 12 hours but usu 4-8 hours depending on the scenario. Sukie
is right FERRETS AREN'T People or dogs or cats for that matter so they are
treated differently. My guess is the tech also works with cats and dogs and
doesn't really understand the difference.
Dr.Sue
>From: sukiec@optonline.net
>Reply-To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
>To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
>Subject: [ferrethealth] RE: ECE, eating, and hydration question
>Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2004 03:42:50 +0100 (BST)
>
>
>
>Author wrote:
> > Is it true that an ill ferret should not be hand-fed (ie gerber 2nd
>stage chicken)? Someone once told me that it's better not to feed them,
>just to keep them hydrated.
>
>They need to eat.
>
>The body uses more nutrients for other functions and an ill ferret (esp.
>one who is passing food too fast needs to eat very regularly to avoid
>getting fatty liver if possible.
>
>The person may have been thinking about the old (Have no idea if this is
>still done.) technique of having people not eat with some things that can
>cause bad runs. That is what my physicians advised for a week or more for
>me when I had a relatively mild case of Weils about 30 years ago which left
>no permanent damage at all. (Blame mall food from a chain that had rats...
> These days a person would get a settlement, esp. since the health dept.
>found the rats.)
>
>Ferrets aren't people, though, and they just don't deal with this in the
>same way.
>
>I'd like to recommend some resources:
>http://www.afip.org/ferrets/babyfood.html
>
>http://www.afip.org/ferrets/ECE/ECE.html
>
>and
>
>http://www.afip.org/ferrets/Clin_Path/ClinPath.html
>
>esp. the section beginning:
>
> > Probably the most common misinterpretation
> >that I see on a routine basis is in the area of hepatic
> >enzymes. Remember, that the ferret, being by nature
> >an obligate carnivore, has an extremely short
> >digestive tract, and requires meals as often as every
> >four to six hours. Should food not be available, it
> >possesses the ability to quickly mobilize peripheral
> >fat stores in order to meet energy requirements.
> >When this physiologic mechanism is activated, the
> >liver is literally flooded with fat, which results in
> >hepatocellular swelling which may be marked.
> >The result of this swelling is the leakage of
> >membrane enzymes such as alanine
> >aminotransferase, and as the hepatocellular
> >swelling increases, occlusion of bile canaliculi
> >occurs, resulting, over time, in elevation of alkaline
> >phosphatase.
>
>Source: Dr. Bruce Williams veterinary pathologist and ferret expert
>
>
>
>
>
>
>--
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