From:
A M
Date: 2007-05-21 13:09:54 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Bear's doing well but doesn't like to drink water
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Hi, all.
Well, Bear has definitely improved since getting on Enalapril and Digoxin a few weeks ago. He had his blood drawn a week ago, and the levels are apparently good. His respiration rate and breathing effort have both really improved and slowed down to almost normal levels, and his appetite is good. He actually seems to prefer canned ferret food (!) over chicken (which he has lived on for his whole life.) Actually, these days I mix canned food with watery chicken "gravy", a little bit of Totally Ferret senior kibble, and store-bought "Duk soup" powder. We've been able to reduce his Lasix to the minimum amounts twice a day, but he really doesn't seem to need it much, if at all.
I'm trying to keep his kidneys happy, however, and I've noticed that he has not generally been drinking much water on his own. (I believe this might be improving with the lower Lasix dose; I think he's one of those weird ferrets who loses his sense of thirst on Lasix instead of the opposite.) The food I'm giving him is very watery so he does get a fair amount of hydration that way. I've tried giving him apple-juice-flavored Pedialyte, but he hates that, too. He actually shakes his head after drinking water sometimes and grinds his teeth like a nauseated weasel. He's just finished a round of Clavamox and we regularly give him Maalox "Max". How much water should I make sure he gets per day? I have been forcing him to drink some watered-down Pedialyte every day at the same time he gets his meds. Usually I aim for about 6 ccs of water/Pedialyte twice a day, depending on how much he drinks on his own. I've even tried floating some Linatone on his water, which seemed
to interest him a little bit more than plain water.
Any tips? Guidance? I am more than able to give him sub-cu fluids, but I was under the impression that was bad for his heart. (I keep forgetting to ask the vets about this; remember, we have both a veterinary cardiologist and our regular vet, who are both awesome and very ferret-experienced.)
-Andrea
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