From:
"sjncmm2009"
Date: 2010-11-11 19:30:27 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] very skinny fuzzy
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
I have adopted a ferret from the human society and she was sorely mistreated. She is terrifyingly skinny, all the bones along her back are sticking out, she looks like a little skeleton. The vet suggests she is about 3 years old and just malnurished. I feed my ferrets Evo and she loves this food, and eats more than my younger ferret. I worry because she isn't gaining enought weight back. It has only been two weeks and has only gained a few oz. Is there any suggestions on what to feed her to help her gain some weight. She refuses any treats (including ferratone and ferralax!), but maybe you guys know of a food that is both nutritious and helpful for this problem.
[Food preferences is NOT an FHL topic,
but food is relation to health is.
Some general food and health ideas:
1. Read the article on digestion that Dr.
Bruce Williams has in the 2011
Annual Ferrets USA magazine because
it WILL give you information that will
help. That mag is just on stands about
now.
2. Have a thorough veterinary exam to
determine if anything that can slow
weight gain or cause weight loss is
present, for example, damage to the
small intestine which is where most
nutrients are absorbed, or cardiomyopathy,
or lymphoma.
3. Ask the vet what she can or can not have,
for example, a compromised ferret is often
more vulnerable to infection from raw food.
4. Look at her waste to determine how well
she is digesting things. If it is passing fast
(green, loose) or if she is not digesting fats
well (little seed like balls in the waste) then
she may not be able to deal with high levels
of fats and she might have her small intestine
so compromised that B-12 injections might
also make sense in addition to modifying the
diet.
5. Ask the vet about recovery foods. Some
examples include a/d or Carnivore Care, and
ask if you should supplement them with high
calorie things like cooked egg yolk if she is
digesting fats okay.
6. Remember that ferrets often have loose
stools while adjusting to a new diet.
Posts that are just food preference posts will
be rejected so send them directly to this poster,
please. Many thanks.
-- Moderator]
------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
ferrethealth-digest@yahoogroups.com
ferrethealth-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ferrethealth-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/