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Post by Samantha :) on Aug 11, 2015 21:52:39 GMT -5
Hi!  I rescued three ferrets from a very horrible situation. They are about 3 years old. The one looks healthy, healthy weight, healthy coat. The other two are half bald and need to put on weight. They were not given food often or cleaned out at their previous home. They lived on top of their own feces. I took them to the vet and all their bloodwork came back normal except for some vitamin deficiencies. What can I do to get them healthy again? I'm feeding Orijen Kitten Food as well as making a duck soup, baby food mix. I add ferretone skinand coat to their dry food, which they like. Is there anything else I can be doing to get a speedy recovery? Thank you for any help and suggestions! |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2015 1:17:31 GMT -5
When Marty first came to me, clearing him of fleas and making sure he was on a high protein high fat food got him right on track for gaining weight and fur. I'd go easy on the ferretone, use it as a rare treat rather than a supplement.
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Post by Blue on Aug 12, 2015 6:37:25 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2015 7:48:37 GMT -5
Thankful for people who have a heart  although I have never used carnivore care , there are very good things said about it on forum. If you r conscientious BHT and propyl paraben (as preservatives) in the oil supplement also they can get an overload from the fatty acids as they do not pee them out like water soluble vitamins but will collect in liver Egg yolks have fat and other nutrients good for ferret as well while may loosen stool, they will absorb much of the nutrients. You can drop whole egg in hot tap water for a couple of minutes and separate. 1-2 yolks a week. They prefer warm. Do not be surprised with yellow stool. Do tell us how babies recuperate |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2015 8:08:10 GMT -5
You just made my day. Thank you for rescuing all 3 and keeping them together. They have been thru a terrible time and I know their bond is strong because of it.
I'm very glad they have seen a vet. Did the vet say anything about possible Adrenal, as a cause for fur lost?
The Carnivore Care is a good product. Avoid any carbs, starches, grains, fruits and veggies.
That will only stress their bodies and treats are full of those.
Give them as much as they want to eat. Leave food out for them at all times and use a water bowl instead of a water bottle.
Consider looking into a natural diet. Kibble is full of filler and they cannot digest or receive nutrients from it.
They are designed to eat meat and will be healthier once they are getting the proper nutrients.
They are 3 years old, so that's an age where they have imprinted on their food and sometimes do not recognize new food as food.
However if they have been hungry, they may eat whatever you offer.
I would suggest making a soupie recipe and hand feeding them for awhile, until they put some weight back on. Here is the recipe. It is balanced and has all of the nutrients that they need.
8oz raw chicken thigh (raw)
1 oz raw chicken liver (or other raw liver)
1-2 raw chicken hearts (approximately 1 oz) or 1 oz other raw heart
½ to ¾ tsp bone meal or crushed egg shell
(air-dry egg shell then crush with mortar and pestle or in a clean coffee grinder)
Weigh out your meat and organs.
Add bone meal or egg shell.
Add water until about the consistency of thick cream (no thinner!!). Blending up in a food processor is the easiest.
PLEASE USE HUMAN GRADE BONE MEAL POWDER! you don't want to know what they put in the bone meal that they sell for pets…
On the Holistic Ferret Forum, if you read through the stickies in the raw feeding/mentoring section you can see how to hand-feed a ferret raw soup. This is recommended to start. I also use a little bit of extra virgin olive oil (no more than 1/2 tsp per day) to entice them to try to raw at first. If they don't like the EVOO, you can also try fish oils (for example Salmon oil). Ferretone is not recommended because of the BHT (carcinogen) but you can mix 1/2 ferretone / 1/2 EVOO to start and then wean the ferretone out of the mixture if you end up with a super picky fuzzy.
generally weekly amounts that ferrets require (our weekly menu is based on these ratios):
75% muscle meat (including 1 full meal of hearts AT LEAST per week)
15% EDIBLE bone Per week
10% organ (1/2 liver - no more than 2 oz per week and 1/2 other organ which includes kidney, spleen, brains, etc. Though 1/2 of the "other" organ should be kidney)
**5% roughage - this is your 1/2 tsp per ferret of pumpkin per day. Helps the food pass through better (mimics skin and fur's role),and prevents hairballs. Most also feed extra virgin olive oil (no more than 1/2 tsp daily) to help with coat and hairballs but a FISH oil is also recommended to replace the EVOO a few times a week as they can actually digest the Animal based oils.
** Please note, we are no longer advocating the 1/2 tsp of pumpkin per day due to insulinoma risks
Kibble can be used to "coat" the raw at first (ie kibble crumbs on the raw) but if you end up getting a kit, they should take to the raw no problem, older ferrets are definitely a bit trickier though. (CRUSH the kibble into tiny pieces and then "bread" the meat with it). this will not create a problem because the kibble is only "coating" the chunk of meat and the kibble is in very tiny pieces. if you can grind the kibble up in a clean coffee grinder, even better).
Taking away the kibble for 2-3 hours before offering the raw is recommended but only if you KNOW your ferret is healthy and does not have insulinoma (only really a concern if you get an older ferret with unknown health history, but getting a kit or seemingly healthy adult vet checked before the switch is also always recommended).
The danger with mixing DRY kibble and WET raw in the stomach is the following: DRY kibble alters the chemistry of the ferrets digestion. When you mix raw meat with a stomach full of dry kibble, the kibble will actually slow down the digestion of the raw meat and this MAY create a potential for bacterial overgrowth which MAY cause funky poops and upset tummies.
Please keep us posted on how they are doing.
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Post by Sherry on Aug 12, 2015 10:28:51 GMT -5
Is the vet you saw someone who is ferret knowledgeable? Because those two missing so much fur sound as if they both have adrenal disease. Generally it cannot be diagnosed via a normal blood test. Most vets diagnose and treat based on symptoms. You CAN have a Tennessee panel done, but it is notorious for false negatives.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2015 10:32:07 GMT -5
Is the vet you saw someone who is ferret knowledgeable? Because those two missing so much fur sound as if they both have adrenal disease. Generally it cannot be diagnosed via a normal blood test. Most vets diagnose and treat based on symptoms. You CAN have a Tennessee panel done, but it is notorious for false negatives. It's also quite expensive. At last check, it was $350 a ferret. I know we all want to do what's best and would happily spend anything to ensure that, but they don't always tell you first and that could be an unpleasant surprise. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2015 12:29:01 GMT -5
Thank you for rescuing these wee ferts. Good luck and keep us updated!
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Post by Samantha :) on Aug 12, 2015 15:19:05 GMT -5
I stopped the ferretone once I read it has BHT in it. Everyone's eating healthy, being inquisitive. They had a rocky start but its uphill from here. The vet said let's see if they improve before treating for adrenal, to see if it was just a neglect situation. Unfortunately where u live im not comfortable with the vets who treat ferrets. I feel like they're not as knowledgeable as they should be. So.... In a few weeks they go get rechecked at a vet that's been highly recommended and that's going to be an hour and a half drive. The animal control did not want to pursue charges on this woman or even do a welfare check on animals or children she has at the house. I've seen some bad situations, but this one made me extremely upset and sad.
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Post by Samantha :) on Aug 12, 2015 15:26:24 GMT -5
I'm going to address the adrenal issue when they go back to the vet. The other vet called it 'rat tail' and they fur on their bellies is all gone. I don't know if its adrenal disease, not being fed, or living on their own urine or feces. I will know soon and keep everyone posted. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2015 16:16:31 GMT -5
Gosh it seems like they could have at least checked and removed any other mistreated animal and certainly checked welfare of children . I really hate it for those babies . I hope all of you have a great time getting to know each other, and again---thanks for rescuing the little ones
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Post by Samantha :) on Aug 12, 2015 17:11:03 GMT -5
The county over from me operates ( and thinks) differently and said if it was in their jurisdiction they would have filed a report and done a welfare check.
This woman had kids, dogs in the back used for breeding. It was sad.
My friends thought I was crazy taking the ferrets. They said I can get new ones for cheaper than what I'm spending on vet bills. I said they deserve love just like any other fuzzy. With proper vet care, healthy diet, happy home, and lots of love I hope they recover quickly.
I named them Edge, Ace, and B.B. (Blind Bet). All casino/gambling terms, because I took a gamble taking them. But in good concious I just couldn't leave them there. I told them they're not spending another second here, put them in a kennel, and took them home.
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Post by Sherry on Aug 12, 2015 18:49:02 GMT -5
Thank you for doing what you have Here is a thread that has some pics of adrenal pattern hair loss that may help. If possible the deslorelin implant done every 6 months works best. Otherwise a good treatment is monthly lupron injections. If by chance they DON'T have adrenal, no harm done. Des is actually used as a potential preventative. holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/2022/adrenal-ferrets-share-pictures |
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Post by unclejoe on Aug 12, 2015 19:29:47 GMT -5
Thanks for taking them in. Of the 4 male ferrets I've had with adrenal 3 started with rat tail. It even grew back a couple times on Eddie and Sumo. Our one female, Poppy, started treatment based on a swollen vulva. She passed form another condition before she lost much fur. Curly came from the humane society already losing fur on his body, but still had fur on his tail. Moe started losing it on his legs first.
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Post by Samantha :) on Aug 13, 2015 11:41:31 GMT -5
When we go to the bet next week I'm going to address and treat the adrenal issue. Next question.... ADV. I've read about it and read that I should get them tested for ADV. Any thoughts, suggestions, comments?
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