Libs' Switching Thread/Hurricanekatt

[Deleted]

Finally home. He thinks its a bacterial infection which I don't understand. I'm always very careful because I have a compromised immune system anyway. So I have antibiotics they gave me something in my I.v. To settle my stomach a bit so I'm not feeling as weak but until my test results are in Im not handling the babies. Husband is freaking out blaming my handling so much raw meat and told my Dr. Who backed my husband on it being a possible factor so now on top of feeling horrid and weak I am worried what it might mean as far as my Babis getting back on raw.

Then my husband got voice mail, my silver ferret is in. I can't have him brought to the house ATM incase I'm contagious, he's only 7 weeks, that's so young. So for now there we are.. At least the I.vs made me feel a little less like death but very worried about my ferts now

[katt]

They are equipped to handle the bacteria in raw meat. They have extremely acidic stomachs, which denatures just about everything. They also have very fast digestion, which makes it hard for anything to sit around long enough to settle in. In addition, their immune systems are designed to handle meat. Now if you feed them bad meat that is spoiled or contaminated, it definitely increases the risk, but generally they can tell if it is bad and will not eat it. So as far as THAT goes, I wouldn't be too concerned.

As far as human health goes, it is no different than preparing your own meat for dinner. There is no more risk than prepping your turkey for Thanksgiving, or cutting up raw beef chunks to cook kabobs or whatever else you are eating. The important thing is to clean up after yourself. If you are worried about yourself, and you have a compromised immune system, it would probably be smart to wear gloves when prepping the meat. Wash down all surfaces and utensils after using them on the meat. Unless you are licking the meat you feed them or using the knife on your bread right after cutting up raw meat without washing it well in between, the risks are pretty minimal. Certainly no higher than preparing your own meat for human consumption. Hopefully you can convince your husband of this.

The IV they gave you was probably phenergan or Zofran. They are both anti-nausea drugs. I think Zofran is more commonly used in hospitals, at least up here. Phenergan can make you sleepy. I know we have several strains of yuck going around up here, viral and bacterial. It could very well be that you had a virus, such as the flu, which weakened your immune system and allowed bacteria to settle in and keep up the not-so-good work. I really hope you feel better soon! Get lots of rest, drink a lot of fluids, and take your vitamins! *hugs* Being sick sucks!

[Deleted]

Yeah it was Phenargren (spelling I dunno ) and Im on Cipro no result call yet.

That's the thing though, I wear gloves even handling our meat because of my immune system already. I also use a mini processor for only their meats, a seprate cutting board, knife and storage containers. I bleach the kitchen down afterwards too so I just don't see how I could have gotten anything that way. My husband is just a worrier because we had a very close call 2 years ago.

If nothing else I might need to give him a couple weeks to calm down before going back to raw. We'll see, at the moment I don't have the energy to argue it with him.

Also, he brought home the new guy anyway but I haven't even gone in the room to see him all I know is he is 7 weeks a path valley fert and is silver. He is in a seprate cage at the moment J.D is taking care if all the fuzzys so in a couple days hopefully I'll be back to normal and can get pictures to share. I have to say though I already feel considerably better then even yesterday just really tired so this is my update for today.
Really I just want to reassure you that I am still convinced raw will be better and worth it in the end. Thank you for your understanding, time and patience .

[katt]

Take all of the time you need. I am glad that you are starting to feel better! Hopefully the meds do the trick. And yeah from the sound of it if you are being that careful the chances that you would have picked something up from their food is like ridiculously small... Hubby just cares is all. Give him some time to cool down.

[katt]

Just checking in. Hope you are feeling a bit better!

[Deleted]

Well I ended up in the hospital again and am finally home, it actually did end up being salmonella complicated by some other health issues I have. I know that there is no way in heck I contracted it here at home but at this time I will have no luck convincing my well meaning husband.
While I was in the hospital he threw away ALL the meat in the house ( overreact much?) but bless his heart he printed out the more dooks food chart and he has managed to get them off Zupreem and onto Innova Evo which is second to the top rated on the chart and they still have the wellness core as a mixer. It isn't raw like I want but it is better than what they had been eating. Im not giving up on the raw but I will have to give it a rest until he chills out about it. There simply is no way I could have gotten it here I am very careful but for now my hands are tied.

I wanted to let you know though that I am on hold here so that Im not hogging up a spot here where you might be able to mentor someone else.

[katt]

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that! I'm glad that you are home now though. Are you feeling better? On the one hand I do hope that you can convince your husband otherwise, but on the other as much as I hate to admit it, perhaps he is right. The risk is so very minimal, but anytime you are handling raw meat there IS a risk, however small. If you already have such a compromised immune system, that makes your risk that much greater than the normal person. You have to look out for your health first - after all, you can't very well take care of them if you are sick! It might be good to let yourself heal up before moving on.

On convincing your husband, perhaps showing him some studies showing how often KIBBLE is recalled for salmonella poisoning. Human grade food (such as grocery store meat) is MUCH more tightly regulated than pet food. Maybe something to give you a little ammo when you are ready to use it.

In the meanwhile, have you considered switching them to Freeze Dried raw? It is a dry food and it is processed, so the risk is lower than plain raw meat. I would also venture to guess that it is lower risk than kibble as it is high quality ingredients from good companies much more interested in the health of the pet as opposed to massive kibble manufacturers whos primary goal is profit. I can't say I have ever heard of a FD Raw recall. (doesn't mean it hasn't happens of course, I jut have never heard of one). Anyways, they will get almost all of the benefits of raw meat from a freeze dried raw diet. It is lower risk for you, and very convenient. The big downside is the cost. It is more expensive than raw or kibble. However, finding the right supplier and buying in bulk can help reduce costs. I highly recommend this route; if it is something your husband will agree to pursue it could mean the best answer for a win:win:win for you, hubby, and the ferrets.

If you are ever ready to pick this thread back up just let me know, and I am always happy to help answer questions. I'll keep this thread open for a little while and if you want help switching to FD (if you choose to pursue that route) I will happily help. It should be pretty easy and straightforwards though. If you have any questions you can always send me a PM too. Keep me posted! *hugs*
I hope you feel better soon!