From:
Kay Goodall
Date: 2005-08-24 11:49:55 UTC
Subject: Re: slow heart rate - SUCCESS SO FAR
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <430C5EE3.5040406@polecat.org.uk>
Thanks, Jerry. Our vet says he'll keep the EKG option open. For now,
he's prescribed Enacard and furosemide (diuretic).
Things are looking good today. Yesterday and the day before were long
and worrying. She was eating next to nothing, and even refusing
Ferretvite. We took her to the vet and he gave her more short-term
injections, but they didn't encourage her to eat. We tried everything -
fresh mince, tinned tuna, Ferretone, Duck Soup variations, the lot. She
barely touched any of it.
Her stools had black/dark brown sections and she was sleeping
constantly, with very little energy when briefly awake, though she
didn't seem to be in pain. I set the alarm at night to feed her, but
after 35 minutes of total failure, I gave up. She didn't even seem to
want to drink. I had to go to the office next day so my mum had to
check on her, but that wasn't much comfort. I didn't know about
force-feeding at the time, but found out about it later (there are
really clear instructions on the Miami Ferret site), and decided to do
it as soon as I got home.
Luckily, my daughter found an ingenious solution, which I'll describe in
case it might help anyone else. She made up a sort of Luxury Custard,
which was like a runny scrambled egg mix. She whisked an egg with about
half as much soya milk (the slightly-sweetened Alpro Fresh), then heated
a small pan with a little olive oil in the bottom. She cooked the egg
mix just for a minute or so, till it was still a bit runny (it goes on
cooking after you take it off the heat). This made a sort of thick
liquidy mix into which she stirred a few drops of Ferretone for extra
fat content.
When it had cooled to warm, she took it to Honey in her bed, and fed her
a tiny amount from her fingertips. Honey loved it. She ate a couple of
teaspoons - a huge improvement - and then settled down to a much better
sleep. A couple of hours later, she had the same again and began to
look transformed. Ferretvite had been great to keep her going, but she
looked much better on a high-protein, low-sugar meal. She still needs
Ferretvite and other sweet supplements like a little Kittymalt to get
her new meds down her - we started them last night - but I'm now trying
very hard to encourage her not to eat anything sweet otherwise. We fed
her every hour or two till bedtime - often just tiny amounts - then I
set the alarm and gave her a meal during the night.
Today she's looking a little bit perky for the first time. She even
engaged in her favourite habit of checking the hall cupboard doors to
make sure they're slightly ajar (not too closed, not too wide open!).
She's eating a small amount of tinned tuna and tinned salmon (I rinsed
it to get some salt off it) and having the egg mix from time to time.
She still needs to be encouraged to eat, though, and sleeps nearly all
the time, and there's a long way to go, but for the first time in days I
really feel optimistic.
I think the key things here were:
- feeding her in her own bed. It's very messy, and the blankets will
need changed, but it made her feel much more secure about eating and
trying food.
- the egg, which if cooked only very softly, seems to be gentle on her
stomach, and reviving. She also liked it when it was liquid & creamy -
once it's fully set, it's less appealing
- taking lots of time to feed her, as she has little rests, then decides
to eat a little more
- feeding her every hour or two during the day and at least once during
the night (very difficult of course if people have to work)
- giving her the egg mix freshly made and warm each time (luckily this
is easy, as the mix will keep in the fridge so you only need to cook
half or a third at a time)
- offering a variety of foods - she wants to be tempted with something
different each time :-( but the Luxury Custard has been a success about
50% of the time.
As I type, I've just got up to check her and found her in the kitchen,
trying a piece of her usual kibble. She didn't want a second, but it's
the first time she's touched it in over a week, so it's a great sign.
Her stool was foamy with some brown and black, so clearly it will take a
while for her stomach to heal and she needs to get onto balanced food,
but she was up for a few minutes after eating, having a little wander
round the flat, so she must be feeling more energetic.
On Saturday, I really thought the end had come and that the vet would
recommend putting her down. It's been a great turnaround. Of course we
won't always be as lucky. But I did wonder if I was being stupid
persevering, and whether it was cruel to her, but now seeing her
enjoying her food and taking an interest in her surroundings, I feel it
was absolutely the right decision. Thanks to everyone here, especially
Sukie, for the encouragement - it gave us the hope and determination we
needed. I've learnt a lot, which will be great for the next time and the
next ferret.
Speaking of which, the other three fuzzies have been having a great
time. I'm vegetarian so they've been dining on all the leftovers: wild
salmon, organic ham, Luxury Custard - they'll all want to be ill now :-\
Kay