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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 0:14:14 GMT -5
i'm uploading my new picts to fb right now. It was 69 degrees in their room this afternoon. I have the window open....it was 59 outside at the time and cooling down nicely. I have seen them all eat, just at different times but each one is eating. i'll try to supervise their eating as often as I can. Sometimes when I go in just before bed, Mickey is up eating in the dark of his covered cage. Maybe for a little while I should cut back on the size of the chunks to make the food a little more appealing. On a whim tonight I gave them a chicken wing. Yogi wasn't much interested, Daisy and Mickey both licked and Mickey took it and hid it. LOL Mickey hurt himself tonight so I"m a bit frazzled. He was playing rather roughly with both of the babies and started limping on his back leg. I immediately put them all in their room with the drapes drawn and the window wide open because they do love to cuddle. I'm just afraid with all the body heat, he could get over heated. He's staying quiet, once he came out and when he walks slowly he's not limping now but when he runs he's still favoring one leg. But prior to his getting hurt they were having quite a good romp. (hope this works) updated photos
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 0:42:34 GMT -5
The vet took Mickey's weight and she said it was such a small amount less...it could have been whether he pooped or not, so I'm confident that Mickey is eating. I've seen Daisy eat, so I'm not so worried about her and she's LOADED with energy. Im going to weigh Yogi now to see how he's doing. HA! He's gained 11 grams! I think they must just be hiding their eating....Oye..closet ferret eaters. hehehe I looked at the bill from the vet, Mickey weighed 1249 grams, that's down from 1285 from 4 weeks ago but the same as he was on 5/18. Not too shabby! I'm so glad you advised me to buy this scale, it sure does give me more peace of mind.
Just checked on Mickey again. He's getting annoyed with all of my checks. I'm leaving them out of the cage tonight so he doesn't have to climb the levels. I've been thinking about giving them free roam of their room all the time, I guess tonight will be the experiment. I do have to find an alternative for their water though. It's in their cage in a locking crock. Hmmmmm..... I'll have to think about that one. Bowls invariably get knocked over (that wuld be Mickey). Mickey is tired and still limping. HOpefully tomorrow he's better after a full night's rest (if I ever leave him alone) HOpe you like the picts in my previous post. I was getting so many comments, I nearly couldn't get them all labeled! hehehe
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Post by katt on Jun 20, 2013 1:28:22 GMT -5
I'll check from my computer, they don't show up on my phone. Definitely let him rest. He may have strained something. :/ It doesn't sound like they have lost a concerning amount if weight then. And yes a scale is very handy!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 1:32:54 GMT -5
I thought that the link didn't show but it's the words "updated photos". I didn't realize it was going to do that I would have typed..."click this link" or something. LOL NO, that's what I was thinking too. it's a little warmer than it was the last time I took weights so they could be just settling in to their summer warm weather weight. I will def keep an eye on them though.
I'm letting him rest. It just freaked me out because the last time I thought a ferret just hurt their leg while playing, it was Jimmy. And he died 5 weeks later of a tumor or something that grew really, really fast. first it was a limp and 5 week later he was dead. I started crying when I saw Mickey limping. Karl had to finish making dinner for me. I'm a mess.... hehehe
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Post by katt on Jun 20, 2013 1:56:39 GMT -5
I know what the issue probably is. When you paste the link you have to delete the s at the end of https:// so it ONLY says http:// The s makes it "secure" so it can't be linked and neither the link nor an encoded image will show up.
Paste the link. Delete the s in https Highlight the link Click on the image Icon in the reply box menu (where the smiley and quote icons are) Ignore the jibber-jabber text and just click OK. Then the image will appear IN your post. If you don't do the image icon thing it will only be a link (which is fine too, the image just won't appear in the post).
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Post by katt on Jun 20, 2013 4:38:31 GMT -5
Wow well after an experience like that I can't blame you at all!!!! They look good to me. Mickey looks a little sunken behind the hips, but in the other shots he looks fine. Adrenal tends to cause muscle wasting and sinking in behind the hips, so I would probably attribute it to that. Let me know how he is doing in the morning!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2013 0:05:21 GMT -5
I woke up late this morning and only had a minute to check on Mickey. I swear, just as soon as you think everything is fine, something goes wrong with them. Mickey seems in good spirits and wants to play but he's still limping. I'm so freaked out. I know that it takes a long time when they pull something or hurt themselves because they are so active. But after jimmy, I'm just out of my mind with worry. I couldn't sleep last night and I have a feeling that I won't be able to sleep tonight or concentrate tomorrow with him like this..I'm just heartbroken that he is hurt.
And to top that off, I feel like the ferrets are on a hunger strike. I know that the seem to be weighing okay, but I can't seem to catch anyone eating and when I got home from work tonight they hadn't eaten all of their breakfast. I sat down on the floor and hand fed Mickey and Yogi and they both ate. some of their food had gone bad so I tossed it and gave them some really fatty chicken (all I had thawed at the time). They didn't eat much but they ate some. Oye, I think I'm probably overreacting because of all the stuff going on....but still kinda feel like I'm losing it.
I got my computer back to day so I'm back in business there! WOOT!
About the adrenal....you mentioned that the sunken behind the hips was more than likely the adrenal disease. Will he get better? Is he going to be normal again soon? I don't really know what all the drugs will do to him. I know that I've seen ferrets recover their fur after the implant but what about everything else? I'm so worried about Mickey. I only lost Jimmy 4 months ago and I can't bear to lose my Mickey too.
I'm glad that everyone looks good to you. I can't see it because I'm so stressed about feeding them right.
Thanks for listening (or reading) my rant! I've gotta try to get some sleep tonight and quit stressing out!! I have high hopes for Friday!
Thank you for all of your help! Cherie
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Post by katt on Jun 21, 2013 1:16:32 GMT -5
Actually, some ferrets DON'T get their fur back after Des. It isn't the best in that department. It depends on the degree of hair loss though. Minor thinning should repair but bald ferrets usually need melatonin in addition to Des. It varies by ferret too though, you just never know! Koda had very bad IBD before he got his Des. It took us a year to get under control via food trials, and even then it was not great. Des made ALL the difference. In fact I was SO pleased a now under control Koda's IBD was prior to Des, he was not popping slime every single time and it was great - only about 1/3 - 1/4 of his poops were slimy. He was skinny, but I figured he was just a greyhound build ferret. His IBD first became a problem after his first blockage surgery when he was only a few months old, so we hadn't seen him in adult form before IBD, and then adrenal kicked in... This was him when his IBD was "under control" prior to getting his Des implant in April (summer mode). This is him a few weeks after getting the Des (in Dec): A few months (still in summer mode, August): He is wet in these but they were the only ones I could find As for Mickey, can you afford to take him in? It could put your mind at ease and they may be able to give him some anti-inflammatories and/or pain meds. Either way you should confine him. Can you lock him on one level of the FN for a day or two to restrict his movement? He will be bored but that is good, it should encourage him to sleep a lot, which will help him heal. You might try giving a little Reishi too and see if that helps any. Part of the reason it works so well for IBD is that it has anti-inflammatory effects.
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Post by katt on Jun 21, 2013 1:53:57 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2013 21:00:28 GMT -5
Awe, he's so cute! That was quite a transformation. I just love his mask! Gorgeous! He looks like he did good on the Des. Mickey only has a little hair loss and that hollow look in his waist. Other than that, you wouldn't really know he had adrenal disease. I'm hoping that he regrows his hair, but of course, it doesn't really matter to me. I just want him to live. So my next question.....what about the long term effects of adrenal if being treated with the Des. Can they live out relatively normal lives? I will talk about melatonin with the vet next weekend when we go in for the implant. I just want him to be healthy and happy. I really don't care about the cost or the time on my part. These things mean very little to me.
Mickey found a little spunk today....we are having a VERY difficult time holding him back this evening. I do think that he is healing some...either that or he's compensating really well, because he's hopping around ( rather than the normal running gate they have) and trying to kill Daisy and Yogi. I looked in his eyes and although they are usually almond shaped, his eyes don't seem to be showing much signs of pain.
Tell me about Reishi. I don't know anything about it. Where do I get it? I would love to be able to give him something for inflammation.
I'm giving him until next week to show signs of improvement before I take him in. I'm very sorry to say that after Jimmy's diagnosis of "perfectly healthy" I don't have much faith in the vets. I do realize that they can't know everything. And I do understand the concept of "practicing medicine"... that no one knows everything and that doctors do their best to give us the truth as they see it. but keeping that in mind, I really have to see for myself that there is a difference in Mickey before I can come to a conclusion that he's on the mend. When the vet saw Jimmy the first time, they palpated him and didn't find anything wrong with him. They said that they wanted to see him back in 6 weeks because it takes a very long time for muscle or tendon damage to heal. After 4 weeks I knew that there was something wrong and I didn't follow my gut instinct. 1 week later he was gone. When I took him in that day the vet felt the tumors and told me that there wasn't anything we could do.
I'm sorry to rehash my Jimmy issues, but I was very terribly scarred because of them. I deeply loved that little guy, he had been so hurt and mistreated and I was able to give him the home and the love he craved.
I really thank you for your advice. When we are done with the mentoring thing can I still talk with you about these things? I'm such a new ferrent, and with all the problems I've had I would really like someone to talk to that understands what I'm going through.
Again, thank you so much!!!!
--Cherie
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Post by katt on Jun 22, 2013 1:32:22 GMT -5
Of course we can still talk after you graduate! lol You can always PM me or message me on FB, and you have my cell. I have unlimited texting and I'm always up late. If I'm busy or asleep I just won't answer right away. Reishi is a mushroom that has very powerful antioxidants and is often used as an anti-inflammatory. It is used a lot in ferrets who have IBD, which is how I found out about it. I'm on my phone so linking is a pain in the butt but in Amazon just do a search for LifeShield Reishi. You break open the capsules and give about 1/4 capsule per ferret per day. Sprinkle it into their food. Some ferrets take time to become accustomed to the taste (start small and build up) but I have used it often enough that my boys don't mind it. It helps a lot with the inflammation that occurs with IBD so I don't see why it couldn't also help with other inflammation. It is also used a lot for mast cell tumors and there's a ton of Ancedotal evidence that it helps to relieve the itching from AND completely resolve mast cells. A lot of people have had luck getting rid of the tumors entirely with regular use of reishi. As for adrenal, Koda's only symptoms were muscle wasting, IBD, and sexual aggression. Honestly at this point with Mickey I would give the implant time to work before using melatonin. Save it in the arsenal for later rather than using all of your tools at once. Des takes 6-8 weeks to kick into full gear. I would give it some time. If his cost isn't improving in a few months, then consider a melatonin implant (also called ferretonin) or even oral melatonin (a of more work and very touchy on timing). That's just me though. A lot of people start with both right off the bat. I prefer minimal intervention until necessary. And yes, I know what you mean about vets. There is only so much they can do, and sometimes it's the wrong thing. And then to make matters worse some are arrogant, stuck in their ways, closed to new ideas, inexperienced with ferrets, or any combination of the above. :/ I am sure Mickey will be fine, just give him time to heal up. *hugs* How ferret friendly are apartments in the Seattle area, do you know? Rentals here are VERY anti-ferret. It took me 7 months to find my last apartment so I am super nervous about moving to Seattle next summer...
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2013 21:14:20 GMT -5
I will check out the reishi. It would be nice to have something on hand for times like these. BTW he's doing much better today. He consistently doesn't limp when walking today. He was really bouncing last night and i wonder if he needed to work something out because once he got warmed up and playing he was not limping as much. And he's more sore, it seems, when he's just woken up.
I do not know much about ferrets and apartments. I don't know any people, other than my friend Alec who lives in an apartment in college, who have ferrets. I believe that he has a room in a house over in East. WA (WSU). Most apartments allow pets, but ferrets, I'm not sure. It could take a while to find one here too. I'll ask people I know who live in apartments and see what they say though. Do you know what area you will be wanting to come to?
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Post by katt on Jun 22, 2013 21:39:18 GMT -5
Oh good! I'm glad he is starting to feel better! We would be wanting something as close to the University of Washington and the hospital as possible. We will sneak the ferrets if we have to but I would rather not have that added stress if I don't have to. I intend to get a letter of recommendation from my old landlord stating how good of shape the apartment was in when we left, specifically that there was absolutely no destruction of th apartment and no smell. I know he would write the letter for me no problem, he loved us and he was a great landlord. How is the heat there? Any cooler? We're down a the beach cabin so it is much cooler but it was cooling down a bit in town when we left too. How are they doing with the organ soup?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2013 22:41:38 GMT -5
It's still warm today, but supposed to cool down tomorrow. They seem to be getting used to the heat a little. They have been back to eating a normal amount yesterday and today...so that's good.
I just tried the heart soup. LOL Only heart, no chicken and a few drops of water. Mickey ate half and Yogi finished it up. Poor Daisy didn't get any! I'm defrosting some more hearts so she can try it. I let her smell it and she backed up like she was on fire! hehehe Yogi did the same but I finger fed him a few bites and then he just took off! Jees! I'll do that a little more so I can be sure to get the hearts in them, and start adding some pieces to it until they will eat it whole. Finicky little suckers! Maybe it's the texture they don't like.
So you are looking at the U district area. The summer is a good time to look with the school being out. I like that area.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2013 19:29:01 GMT -5
Update: My Mick-er doodle is feeling much better today. His walk is normal again and he runs with a little loping gait, but he's def on the mend!!!! YAY!!!!
So today I made some heart soup for Daisy. She was kinda "eh" about it, but ate some. Yogi cleaned the plate for her, nice boy... hehehe I guess he likes it!
Went to the Asian market...got two bags of duck wings (but I see some feet in there too) and a pound of duck gizzards. 4.75 pounds of duck "parts" and the pound of gizzards for $7.50! I just love that store! Where the heck else are you going to find that much duck for that cheap! My babies are gonna be eating good!
Thawing out meats for the next week.....I think I'm going to make the heart soup and freeze it so it's easier to serve. But on the menu this week: some chicken left with fat, cornish hen, pork bone, duck bone, duck gizzard, chicken heart, pork brain, chicken liver and I"m going to throw in some minced beef. As long as I keep up with the hearts, brains and livers in the right dosage, it sounds like a pretty good mix of proteins and fats for the rest. I'm finding this part of the planning to be quite fun. It's the chopping that gets a bit tiresome! hehehe
Oh...btw....I put breakfast down (cornish hen chopped up) and Mickey and Yogi ate almost all of it! Only a few pieces left for Daisy. I'm going to start making larger portions so she actually gets to eat. I guess I found out why she lost some weight. I will concentrate on her eating this week.
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