|
Post by azaelia on Feb 26, 2017 7:51:29 GMT -5
itll be ellie eating out the bowl. frank maybe had a few licks but i've sneaked a few peeks & seen ellie eating by herself.
last night we took a bit of a backwards step, no one seemed as interested as they have been. everyone had some though.
ill post the weights & pics ect in a bit
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2017 23:11:21 GMT -5
There may be some step backs in the transition, but don't worry about them! They'll get on raw eventually as long as you stay persistent. I'm still quite happy with the current progress. You've done quite well with them. ^^
How is Ellie going on her meds? Jasper wasn't medicated either was he?
|
|
|
Post by azaelia on Feb 27, 2017 8:14:17 GMT -5
hi @machan i think ellie is doing ok on her meds. its hard to tell because she never showed any symptoms of insulinoma. but shes acting like herself, just eating a little less so im happy with that. no jasper isn't medicated, apart from his bloated tummy you'd never think there was anything wrong with him. SO. . . 1. Ferret's name: Jasper 2. Ferret's weight: 972g (+2g) 3. Ferret has eaten "X" amount on average per meal. around 1/2 a teaspoon 4. Stools on various proteins. poops are still normal at the moment 5. Activity levels: increased! 6. Weekly menu: orijin cat & kitten kibble & vince the vet chicken ground raw 1. Ferret's name: Ellie 2. Ferret's weight: 508g (+8g *happy dance*) 3. Ferret has eaten "X" amount on average per meal. the little tinker has done from eating around 1/2 a bowl by herself to 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons 4. Stools on various proteins. poops are still normal at the moment, although when she was eating from the bowl they did go a bit watery 5. Activity levels: increased, but not as drastically as Jasper 6. Weekly menu: orijin cat & kitten kibble & vince the vet chicken ground raw 1. Ferret's name: Frankie 2. Ferret's weight: 1.12kg (-13g) he did wriggle around on the scales a bit tho 3. Ferret has eaten "X" amount on average per meal. around 1/2 - 1 teaspoon 4. Stools on various proteins. poops are still normal at the moment 5. Activity levels: around the same. (he is the youngest of the group tho so his activity levels were above the others to begin with) 6. Weekly menu: orijin cat & kitten kibble & vince the vet chicken ground raw
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2017 17:10:48 GMT -5
I need to say, Frankie has the cutest little baby face I've ever seen. <3
I'm glad to hear that Ellie is doing alright~ Did your vet show you how to do the BG test at home with a BG monitor by any chance? It would be quite handy to check here and there and note it down on your switch thread so we can monitor her along the transition. ^^
Did you talk about general care plan for Jasper with the vet up by chance? I'm just asking since he's not medicated and usually they'd give pred or other medications.
How has the raw feeding been today? ^^ They seem to like egg, you could try mixing an egg in with their next mince meal and see if that helps encourage them to eat more. ^^
|
|
|
Post by azaelia on Feb 28, 2017 18:40:46 GMT -5
Frankie says thank you! Lol that's my all time favourite pic. I'm due back at the vets next week, I plan on taking every1 for a big test. We never discussed medication with jasper. Maybe because he was so so sick when I took him when he was diagnosed. For the past 2 years around every 6 - 8 months he'd start vomiting, go off his food. Be unable to walk & he seemed 2 be in a great deal of pain. Every time antibiotics sort it out. The vet said last time it was pancreatitis & possible users to go with it. He was so bad last time I thought it was it. I was having to force fluids into him. That's when he was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, he's been ok since june. That's when I switched to a better kibble too. I will talk to the vet about medicating him. I'm struggling with raw this week. My hours r a bit mad at work, early mornings & late nights so I'm struggling fasting them between meals. Tonight they'll get their kibble back around 12.30am, I have 2 b up at 7am. Urgh. I'm on holiday for 2 weeks after Saturday so I'm planning to take kibble away for good then. I'll have the time to pop in every 2 or 3 hours to feed them that way. I will try the egg tomorrow. I switched to water because I was concerned how much egg they were getting. Though in truth it was less than a third each a day. Also ellie crunched a little bit of bone yesterday!
|
|
|
Post by azaelia on Mar 2, 2017 6:20:41 GMT -5
So tried it mixed with egg last night & it went much better. Every1 ate from the bowl when I lowered the spoon in. They had loads.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2017 4:03:09 GMT -5
Sorry for being absent for a bit there. I got an infection and was a bit sick this week. omg that is a very cute photo of Frankie! I love how photogenic he is there! Fantastic to hear that everyone will be going for a vet trip. I really recommend finding a ferret knowledgeable vet if possible. Jasper sounds like he should have some kind of treatment. I'm actually surprised they never discussed it with you. ;A; I'm sorry to hear about how sick her was. It must have been heart breaking to witness and not know what you should or could be doing at the time. I wish Jasper many years of long happy life. He sounds like an absolute dumpling. ^^ You may have your ups and downs when you first start the transition, but don't stress! You can make it work to suit you, your ferrets and your lifestyle. Do what you can, when you can and you will get progress at your own pace. As for the fasting, don't stress if you cannot do it for certain amount of time. We only recommend doing it as a precautionary measure. The only reason we do it is so that there are no stomach upsets from mixing two food types (raw and kibble). Of course, there is only anecdotal evidence to suggest this. If you cannot fast for an hour or so, don't worry, just keep an eye on them and you should be alright. I suggest doing a feeding time once a day maybe, when ever you're home. It doesn't have to be for both meals, just whenever you can fit it into your schedule until you can do it more frequently like on your holiday. I'm glad the egg trick worked for you! I used egg to make organ meals more ... palatable to my own business. It may be a good trick to try when you get to the organ stage. Great work by the way! I'm really happy to hear things have been going well so far. It will get better from here on for sure. You may get some step backs, but they'll get there and you will be very happy with yourself after all the hardwork paying off with great rewards.
|
|
|
Post by azaelia on Mar 3, 2017 11:31:42 GMT -5
Hey, machan! Pmsl u called Jasper a dumpling! That's his new name lol thank you for your kind words. I call him Bullet, because he keeps dodging them!
|
|
|
Post by azaelia on Mar 5, 2017 17:33:52 GMT -5
hey @machan
quick update - lastnight was awesome, i coaxed everyone to eat from the bowl! Ellie is still the only one who takes willingly from the bowl, the boys i have to lower the spoon in as they eat but it's still progress. i left the meat in their cage with them last night (what was left of it) & it was almost all gone by morning. that'll be Ellie.
Am I ok to post updated weights ect on Tuesday this week? i've had a buisy day today & tomorrow i'm off on a big day out with the family so can't garentee i'll have time. I'll try though.
Tuesday morning i plan on switching them to raw in the morning & doing a feed every few hours & hopefully that'll be it for kibble. I don't think it'd take much for the boys to eat from the bowl
|
|
|
Post by katt on Mar 5, 2017 23:40:53 GMT -5
Keep it up!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2017 18:37:26 GMT -5
Sounds like everyone is doing super with the raw. I'm really happy with Ellie. It's fantastic progress. Keep up the great work~
|
|
|
Post by azaelia on Mar 7, 2017 8:30:57 GMT -5
hey @machan so - 1. Ferret's name: Jasper 2. Ferret's weight: 1.17kg(+45g little pork chop) 3. Ferret has eaten "X" amount on average per meal. last night he ate from the bowl on his own YAY! on average i'd say he's having 2+ teaspoons a night 4. Stools on various proteins. poops are still normal at the moment, although he did a very smelly one today. which was just lovely lol 5. Activity levels: gone back to normal we've had a quiet few days 6. Weekly menu: orijin cat & kitten kibble & vince the vet chicken ground raw 1. Ferret's name: Ellie 2. Ferret's weight: 522g! (+14g) 3. Ferret has eaten "X" amount on average per meal. she's back to eating from the bowl, she'll have around 3 - 4 teaspoons 4. Stools on various proteins. poops are are a little softer & smaller than usual 5. Activity levels: increased, she's becoming playfull again 6. Weekly menu: orijin cat & kitten kibble & vince the vet chicken ground raw 1. Ferret's name: Frank 2. Ferret's weight: 1.32g (+20g last week he wiggled on the scales so the increase in weight may not be accurate) 3. Ferret has eaten "X" amount on average per meal. he'll eat from the bowl when i lower the spoon in, he'll have areound 2 teaspoons a night 4. Stools on various proteins. poops are still normal at the moment 5. Activity levels: back to normal, he's still the most active of the 3 though. 6. Weekly menu: orijin cat & kitten kibble & vince the vet chicken ground raw so it's the day of thee big switch! kibble has gone & last nights raw meat is still out for them. because i'm a bad mother & forgot to defrost some last night when it's defrosted i'm going to go in to feed them around every 3 - 4hours, leaving the food out inbetween. i'm confident that Ellie is eating by herself so i dont need to worry about her insulinoma & most of the food i put down last night went.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2017 19:27:41 GMT -5
Wow Ellie has gained some weight, That's fantastic! I'm also happy to hear that they are eating from the bowl. Don't feel bad for forgetting to defrost some food. It happens sometimes (even I do this now and then rofl!) Yes, it is absolutely fantastic that Ellie is eating on her own. That's a massive success for you, things will hopefully be more easier for you now that you don't have to worry all too much if she's eating or not. Keep an eye on her and everyone else. The fact she's gaining some weight is really good.
|
|
|
Post by azaelia on Mar 8, 2017 14:13:47 GMT -5
Feedings going OK. Poop is starting to get looser.
Just got back from the vets with her for a check up. It was a disaster! He couldn't get any blood from her. He tried 4 times before he gave up. He said he didn't want 2 stress her out more & didn't really want to clip a nail. I've made another appointment to go next week, I'm gutted we couldn't get a reading.
He also said average life expectancy for insulunoma is 1.5 year? That's depressing.
I've seen the bg monitors for home use, that's got 2 wait until late next month as it's so expensive.
It's lymphoma jasper has, I asked about medicating him, he said that steroids when he's doing fine isn't great as they're quite damaging to the body.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2017 17:24:27 GMT -5
If the stools are getting looser you can try adding less water to the mix and see how that goes. If it continues try adding a small bit of egg shell powder. It sucks that you couldn't get a reading. Ferrets can be quite difficult to get a blood reading from. Do you have some salmon oil by chance? This may distract her to give just enough time for you to quickly get the reading. The best spot is to prick the paw pad. To make it easier for the blood to come to the top, you can rub a tiny bit of vaseline on it before pricking. Ferrets with insulinoma can live a good long life, more than the 1.5 years if you provide a good diet liek the raw and have medications and other health support available. Prednisone can be damaging to the liver, however I do believe prednisolone is the one that will not cause too much of an issue. katt may have an input for this one.
|
|