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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2015 14:41:01 GMT -5
Went to vet today with senior. i had never done a blood sugar test on her, so it was a fasting 89. the dr was pleased with that--and with her teeth , hardly any tartar, nice coat, nice muscle tone.
Then, she found bacteria in stool again---- the spore-forming kind, which is not good. she told me she was not on board with leaving food out and gave me research results of the deaths of 3,forty-two day old black-footed ferrets, who died from bacteria. (clostridium perfringens)
Basically, it makes toxins,causes distention,gas, and changes lining in stomach and the intestines....SOOOO, I do not know what i am doing wrong.
Should i clean up immediately after breakfast-----just let them have fun stashing then clean it up?
Oh yes, it wasn't a real bad case----like an overload. She did mention it not smelling----so no antibiotics. If diarrhea two or more times she would recommend antibiotics.
Oh yes, i bought some rubber gloves because you can catch stuff.
.
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Post by bitbyter on Feb 3, 2015 15:32:19 GMT -5
What bacteria did she find in the stool? A ferrets stool is ALWAYS going to have bacteria in it whether on raw or kibble. It is part of being a carnivore.
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Post by bitbyter on Feb 3, 2015 15:43:17 GMT -5
To give you an idea of how UNCONCERNED I am about bacteria. I give them their meat in the morning frozen. They drag it all over the fleece in the cage while it thaws and while eating it. If there are any leftovers the next day (there shouldn't be or they go hungry) I remove them and give them to my rodents. At the end of the week the fleece is washed.
I only EVER worry about bacteria if they show signs of being sick and even then bacteria is usually the last thing I worry about.
A healthy ferret should not have to worry about bacteria at all. If a bacterial overload does happen then in my opinion that points to something else going on. Either the meat was heavily contaminated before hand or some other health problem is throwing off the ferrets digestion.
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Post by Heather on Feb 3, 2015 15:54:00 GMT -5
Ok, I do know what she's talking about the kits....and that you're so unlikely to deal with that. Can it happen, of course it can. There's a problem with her findings though. You're ferret is not a month old baby. Your ferret's digestive tract is mature. Yes, that bacteria is going to be your ferrets stool. You had better be very upset if there's not. You're getting a anti-raw spiel from your vet. If there wasn't enough bacteria to warrant an antibiotic, she's pulling your chain.
ciao
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Post by Celene on Feb 3, 2015 16:09:05 GMT -5
If ferret poop didn't have bacteria, we wouldn't need to wash our hands after cleaning it!  In all seriousness though, depending on what size pieces you're feeding them, the meat can sit out and still be good for awhile. Ferrets generally won't touch meat that's gone bad. Apparently, it is even considered a delicacy in some ferret households to dry meat in-house under couches and behind cupboards and such and eat it later as a jerky. My girls aren't very cultured though and they turn their heads away at meat that is even slightly dry on top. How bad is the poop? Ferrets have lots of really funny ones when switching. One of my girls still gets diarrhea after eating chicken so I am trying to determine whether or not she has a sensitivity/allergy to it. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2015 16:59:41 GMT -5
Heather, they were kits, and they quit feeding them three times a day to two, so they would not overeat, and that remedied the situation with deaths by the bacteria Clostridium perfringens.
I think vet was worried because it was a spore-producing bacteria found in my Abbey. When u think spore, you think proliferation.
Ok guys. Will listen to you'ens.
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Post by Celene on Feb 3, 2015 17:18:28 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2015 8:01:46 GMT -5
That was very interesting reading, Celene. Looks like no escaping  mine r off chicken and and cornish--although i try to slip them cornish ,but they get runny stools I fed mine rabbit the other day and stool was kind of clear on one of my girls---i do not understand. I thought rabbit was easy on system. it was pel freeze brand from store.... maybe it was do to something else. they have been off the switch for a while now |
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Post by Celene on Feb 4, 2015 10:07:46 GMT -5
The funny poops might just be because they're not used to it. For the first few days/times fed of ANY newly introduced protein you should expect funny poops.
I don't know how long it "normally" takes their systems to adjust to a new protein, but I'm sure there's a mentor around somewhere who does!
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Post by bitbyter on Feb 4, 2015 10:13:54 GMT -5
Raw poops will NEVER be regular like kibble poops. It entirely depends on what they have eating. Also, when you introduce a new protein their poops can be "off" for a few days. Look at the poop chart. I stopped being obsessed with poop quite a while ago. |
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Post by Heather on Feb 4, 2015 17:12:22 GMT -5
One thing to consider when dealing with "meat changes" is are you feeding adequate bone in the mix. This is one of the key factors in dealing with loose runny stools
ciao
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Post by Celene on Feb 4, 2015 18:29:58 GMT -5
That is true! Since my girls aren't eating bones yet I've been mixing in 1/3 tsp of eggshell powder per 8 oz of meat for what should be the "bone-in" meals. But since they only eat about 1.5 oz each a day, they're only getting the tiniest amount of eggshell each.
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