From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2005-01-10 22:14:52 UTC
Subject: RE: Prednisone, Insulinoma, and Adrenal Disease
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <6771003.1105395292048.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Is she showing any signs of nausea from the insulinoma? That will put some off food.
She might not like the flavors of the food being used. Try different meat baby foods. Try a/d. There are those who have made a version working from the chicken gravy recipe but using different meats if she dislikes chicken.
Consider using a treat to buffer the Prednisolosone instead of food since your observation makes a lot of sense. For instance, if the ferret licks up Ferretone then is stopped before it is all licked up, given the Pediapred and immediately again given the dish to finish licking up Ferretone that can work with many. Knowing the meds mean treat will follow does help.
Make meal time as relaxing and loving as possible. Because they can pick up your stress take deep slow breaths beforehand to present calm. Have some relaxing music on. Ferrets often like singing and plucked instruments like banjos or guitars. Talk calmly to the ferret, stroke the ferret, sing to the ferret working the ferret's name into the song. Make it your special relaxing time together. Give the food by finger first. Once she begins eating rapidly go to spoon or bowl. We've found that a few of our ferrets have or have had strong individual preference for certain bowl and spoon shapes.
Jealousy can help, too. When she lags past the point where all other tricks work let her see that another ferret will steal the food if you have more than one.
If all else fails see if dripping the food in front of her while holding her over the sink works. The single best instrument we have found for this is called the Dr. Clown Spoondropper. The accordion top gives fine control. The wide openning prevents the type of blockages and sudden large releases which can pose a risk with syringe feeding. They clean up well.
Here is the product we buy:
http://apothecaryproducts.com/catalogue/product.asp?CatID=179&ProdID=67032
If it comes down to having your vet show you how to do forced feeding these instruments are also safer than syringes. Also safer than syringes are small squeeze bottles with the tips cut to make the openning much larger.
Professionals learn how to do force feedings with syringes, but there are aspiration risks so if it comes down to that and if you can't get the instruments which provide better control then have your vet or one of the vet techs teach you hands-on how to do it, leaving breathing times, avoiding lumps, avoiding sudden large relaeases, not scratching the palate, and how to have better control of the syringe. One trick to improve control of the syringe is the hold the syringe across your palm, holding it with folded down fingers, and operating the plunger with your thumb.