Message Number: SG18613 | New FHL Archives Search
From: sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2006-11-04 04:38:53 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] kidney disease help sought
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com

Sending this did not work for the poster so I am carrying this for Danee. For direct mail:
DaneeDV@aol.com

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BEGIN QUOTE

I have a 6.5 year old female ferret that was recently diagnosed with
early stage renal failure, based on both elevated BUN and Creatinine
levels, as well as a low specific gravity in her urine. My vet was
unable to determine the cause of the problem, as she had no signs of
infection, and he was unable to palpate any cysts or tumors. His
recommendation was to put her on a special diet of a feline kibble for
renal failure mixed with her regular ferret food.

While it was not his first choice, we found she was very willing to eat
Purina NF, and so she has been getting that mixed with my regular ferret
food mix at a 50/50 level.

My concern is that these feline renal failure diets rely on grains to
cut the protein levels, and I know that grains are not the best thing
for ferrets. I have several ferrets that have food allergies resulting
in IBD, and they can not eat kibble because of the grains.

So, I was wondering if the vets or those with experience on the list had any thoughts or comments on this diet issue.

My second question is about how much food a 'normal' ferret needs during
a 24 hour period. Pogo has always been plump, but since this problem
started, she has become obese. She went from 3 lbs to 3.5 lbs in a
little less then 3 weeks. She is now so fat she can barely walk, and I
know this is only making her condition worse. I want to limit her food
availability, but I want to make sure she is getting enough and that I
don't starve her. So, what is a good amount to give her?

She does drink plenty of fluid on her own, so dehydration is not an
issue. In fact, when we went to the vet, I was concerned she was
becoming diabetic, because of the amount of water she was drinking. She
was tested for that, her BG was normal, and her urine showed no ketones
or glucose. He also tested it for several other things, and everything
was normal.

The other odd thing, she has developed an unusual body odor. She smells
like maple syrup. Both my husband and my vet agree she has this odor.
I bathed her - in case she had gotten something on her fur, and within
24 hours the odor was back. My vet has no clue what to make of this, so
if anyone else has encountered something like his, I would be interested
in hearing their thoughts.
--
Danee DeVore
International Ferret Congress Health Issues Coordinator
http://www.ferretcongress.org
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit: http://www.ferretadv.com
You can help fight ADV!
Visit: http://help4adv.terrabox.com/

END QUOTE





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