From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2005-01-29 19:20:49 UTC
Subject: RE: Weight gain after illness getting out of control
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <2136794.1107026449755.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
If the vet says that he can exercise then it is probably a good thing to try to get him going with that. Exercise can help moderate appetite while it builds lean tissue (burning fat and creating muscle which will continue to burn fat. Do you have a toy mousie on a string or hung from a cord on a stick? You can even make your own by rolling an old sock and stuffing it with another one and then adding the fixin's. Especially if they have bells or even a bit of catnip they can be even more interesting.
For getting him back on regular food when he is ready and the vet okays it try putting some kibble inside a paper bag. Pretend that you don't know it is there. Let him "steal" it and eat it "secretely". Don't "discover" that he is eating it till he has been eating a decent bit of it for at least a few days and then praise him to the skies but continue to let him be sneaky for a while longer. That is a very effective trick which uses natural mustelid behaviors to advantage.
Stomachs are part of a hormonal feedback loop. and a stretched one or an irritated one (or in his case both together) will be putting out larger amounts and feeling hungry even sometimes when it shouldn't.