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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2014 22:07:47 GMT -5
We have had record success with both Nixxie and Nax tonight. While neither ate directly from the bowl, they ate while I spoon fed them in record amounts. They didn't fight me, squirm or try and get a way after a bite or two like normal.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 9, 2014 9:37:17 GMT -5
Fantastic. Looks like they FINALLY have accepted it as food Do what you have done for another two days, and keep luring them to eat from a flat dish on their own. What you do is while they are licking from the spoon just keep lowering it to the dish until the spoon is not being held up. As they lick move it to the side so they are licking directly from the plate. If they stop, begin again and lower spoon to dish then move aside. Keep doing this until all you need to do is "prime" them.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2014 10:40:20 GMT -5
They are doing great, after all the resistance ot the soup, they have made heaps of progress the last too days. I still have to sit with Nixxie to get her to stay there and eat, but it just amazes me that they have finally given in.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 11, 2014 9:07:53 GMT -5
So are they taking it on their own, or still being spoon fed?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2014 14:34:13 GMT -5
Nax is not only taking it on his own, he is trying to horde the dish.
Nixxie still take a bit of a reminder. I have to start her on the spoon and lead her to the dish and then she eats away at the dish. So the spoon for a lick or too and then the dish for her.
I do have a question. Today is organ meal day for Gilly. She is getting pig liver and pancreas. She is a bit resistant to it, I want to make sure she eats enough of it though, so how much would be considered enough?
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Post by Sherry on Sept 11, 2014 17:22:57 GMT -5
Take the average meal for her, multiply by 2 for 2 meals a day. Multiply by 7 for a week's worth. Then 5% liver, 5% other organ. Let's say she eats an average of 2.5 oz per meal. That would be 2.5 x 2 = 5 oz for a day 5 x 7 = 35 oz for a week. 35 x 5% = 1.75 oz liver, 1.75 oz other organ so- 3 oz for the entire week. Which is why organs are often fed as one full meal, and one half meal a few days later.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2014 13:16:29 GMT -5
How much soup should I be going through with 3 ferrets now on full time soup? I seem to be going through way more than I ever thought. We have going through about 2 ice cube trays (the soup recipe doubled) every 2 days.
I know have two that used to refuse, and are now fighting and screaming over a single ice cube.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 15, 2014 9:48:57 GMT -5
At the beginning they will eat almost double what they finally settle to It is almost as though they are trying to make up for lost nutrition.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2014 20:48:21 GMT -5
I am a bit behind on posting the weekly menu and everything with Gilly's nightmare this weekend. I am about to zonk out, but I just wanted to double check about feeding Gilly raw right after gastric surgery. The vet suggested canned cat food but said soupies for the next 2-3 days would be fine. (small amount)
I guess I am just a little nervous about feeding her after this.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 16, 2014 2:13:30 GMT -5
Give her her normal raw. It will help her heal faster
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2014 0:59:06 GMT -5
What a crazy week! Lots to post.
I will start off with Gilly's menu pre surgery. Monday the 8th -Sat the 13th when she first started showing symptoms.
Monday: 1 whole 3.3oz quail.
Tuesday: AM 3.5 oz ox tail, no bone consumed. 1.04 oz beef.
Wed: Am 1 Chicken heart Pm 1 large chicken wing. consumed about 1/4
Thursday: Am 1 oz pig liver 1 oz pig pancreas. Pm Chicken neck
Friday: Am Chicken neck PM 1/4 heart
Sat: Was supposed to be 1/2 oz liver and was going to try her with pig kidney. Sadley we didn't get to it.
This week Gilly is currently on a thin soup diet due to her surgery. However, we have made leaps and bounds of progress with the others.
Nixxie 1.6 lbs eating at least 4-5 oz a day if not more, hard to tell. She is eating lots of soup but the last few days has gone from slivers all the way to a whole chicken wing tip bone and all. Poops are dark brown, still look close to kibble fed. Her fur has gotten so silky soft. The physical change in her has been huge!.
Gerri 1.13 lbs, Nax 2.05lbs, Nixxie for this week: Mon:Am & PM Soup Tues:Am & PM Soup Wed: Am Soup PM Soup with slivers Thurs: Am soup with slivers PM Soup with bit size and small cubes. Fri:Am soup with small chunk Pm soup medium chunk. Sat: AM Small chunks PM Small chunks mixed in with 1 chicken neck divided into thirds and smashes and well mangled. Sun:AM Med and small chunks PM Soup with large chunks CHicken wing tip was offered and Nixxie ate it, bone and all.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 22, 2014 8:41:35 GMT -5
They are doing SO well! Okay, let's start getting them on whole chunks Cut the meat pieces long and thin(think like the wing tip) and see how they do. If you have to coat with soup but try without first.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2014 23:01:32 GMT -5
Nixxie is taking to it well. So is Gerri. I am having to coat with soup for Nax. He gets this funny look on his face when he is trying to chew like he doesn't like the texture or something.
I am also working on graduating Gilly back to her normal diet and away from soup, so I have her eating the same as the other 3 now.
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Post by Sherry on Sept 25, 2014 8:41:36 GMT -5
That funny look is him concentrating on chewing They are doing really well! You could likely move them from tips alone to the whole wing, segmented. Take the wing, segment, cut the middle part in two between the bones, and cut the large end lengthwise along the bone as much as possible to expose the marrow. With Nax, try coating in watered down soup, then plain water and see how he does. It is also time to start heart, liver/organ as their own meal. With the heart try slivering and offering to see if they will eat it. Same with liver/organ. If not you can always puree and hand feed once a week to start.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2014 1:58:28 GMT -5
Nixxie 1.4. She has really taken to bonemarrow as long as it is exposed she will eat it. She has had some runny poops so I am trying to feed her more bone. The change in energy and appearance in her is huge.
Nax 2.07 He is throwing a fit and refusing to eat anything but soup. His poops look fairly normal but he is protesting by pooping in places he shouldn't he has had low energy days this week but today was a high energy day.
Gilly 1.11 She is more picky than she was pre surgery but is back to eating bone, despite turning down quail. I was shocked because that was her favorite pre surgery. poops look good and massive amounts of pent up energy is finally being released.
Gerri 2.1 He is eating anything and everything and is quite aggressive about it. poops look just like the raw fed photo. Energy is normal.
Weekly menu has been pretty much gone like this.
AM: Offer organs after they refuse(Gerri eats chicken heart just fine) try it in soup form. they refuse. so then I go to chicken wings. Small amounts are consumed by Gilly and Nixxie, Gerri steals it, eats his fill and then the other two snack on the rest. I have been offering wing tip size chunks of pork daily and 2x offered soup filled quail. Offered but not really consumed.
PM ends up back to soup with chunks because so little has actually been eaten by 3 out of 4.
Nax won't eat eat anything but small chunks ad soup. It is straight up a battle of wills, and I am sure this must sound crazy, but I swear it is because I started feeding them in dens because I have been struggling to figure out who is eating what. He does not like the den because he can't run off with it.
Last week we made so much progress and then this week it has been a real fight. Mostly because I am trying to put an end to stashing and figure out who is eating what and how much.
I am trying to work out a better system so any advice would be great.
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