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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2013 22:01:03 GMT -5
This is Fe. She is a 7 year old desexed Sable jill. You can see she is missing a number of teeth up top, this is due to having adverse dental disease last year from a life of kibble, having been kibble fed for 6 & 1/2 years. Her entire diet consists of the following: Whole prey items - quail chicks, matured quails, day old roosters, matured mice, small rats, baby rabbits & baby cavies. Edible bone items - chicken necks, peices of turkey neck, peices of chicken carcasses. Muscle meat items - chunks of beef & lambs hearts, chunks of roo & rabbit meat. She also has a chunky organ/offal mince 2-3 times a week, which is made up of beef, lamb/mutton livers & kidneys, plus the organs of rabbits & kangaroos. I normally mix in minced beef, roo & mutton meat, plus chicken fat & lambs fat to it, plus an egg & some ground bone (chicken or rabbit).  |
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Post by Heather on Apr 18, 2013 22:13:05 GMT -5
That's fantastic. It just goes to show that with patience this is not impossible. Congratulations  ciao |
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Post by Sherry on Apr 18, 2013 22:16:48 GMT -5
Thanks Phaedra! This goes to show that even if a ferret is missing a number of teeth they can still eat a raw/whole prey diet  |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2013 22:20:07 GMT -5
Photo of her eating a mouse.  |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2013 22:32:48 GMT -5
my 7 year old was actually the easiest to switch!! I lucked out.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2013 22:33:18 GMT -5
Thank you ladies She's a great little fuzz & I love her dearly. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2013 22:49:58 GMT -5
Aw! That is so awesome. She is a beautiful little beast too! |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2013 0:49:43 GMT -5
 How cute. Thanks for adopting an older girl, too! I have an adopted seven year old boy and he's coming along with the raw too. Have you seen any difference? |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2013 1:56:28 GMT -5
Her coat is much softer, it's got more body to it (used to be thin & wire like), more lively & motivated to be a naughty fuzzy. Her all around health has improved. Plus she poo's these neat little packages for me with almost no odour! Only smells a bit if she's had organs. I give her a fish oil capsul most days too, just as a supplement, used to be daily, but I've cut back a bit to see how she goes.
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Post by katt on Apr 19, 2013 14:59:27 GMT -5
She is adorable. That is great that she is on raw/whole prey now! What a good girl. Thank you for sharing this!  It is so helpful for people to see that ferrets of all ages and abilities can be switched to a raw diet. |
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2013 22:14:07 GMT -5
Just to add on, but I also got with Fe two other old ferrets, Tina & Joe, a brother & sister duo at the age of 5, now almost 6. They also had minor dental issues, mostly tartar & plaque build up, which is now removed due to eating bones. Tina has a damaged canine from cage biting, but they are both otherwise healthy ferrets.
Joe has a back injury which does give him pain, but supplements & pain medications manage this, all mixed into his mince/ground meals daily.
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Post by Sherry on May 3, 2013 8:49:22 GMT -5
So glad your other two elder ferrets have switched as well! As for your boy with the back injury- how would he react to warm water therapy do you think?
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Post by Heather on May 3, 2013 11:39:05 GMT -5
What about chiropractor or even acupressure or acupuncture. I know that my vet offers these along with hydrotherapy that Sherry mentioned. T-touch and Reiki are other alternative therapies that can work for pain. Any of these therapies can provide a huge amount of relief from pain. That's wonderful that you've managed to get the rest of your seniors to convert to raw.
ciao
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Cynde
Junior Member
Posts: 237
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Post by Cynde on May 3, 2013 14:27:14 GMT -5
She is beautiful.
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2013 2:40:48 GMT -5
Joe is already on Joint Guard (feline joint supplement) & Permaease (dog joint supplement), plus a little meloxicam or metacam (I can't remember at this very moment, as I have both due to Joe's back & my dog getting mauled). Joe normally sits in a warm water bath 2-3 times a week & has a heat pack most nights. I've been looking into acupuncture for him, but he seems to manage well as is.
His injury is actually an unhealed fracture in his lumbar, something he would've gotten when he was younger according to my vet. A serious fall or similar, but he would've done as all ferrets do & pop up & continued on his way like nothing happened & it's been overlooked. It's simply never healed or hasn't healed properly, but it in itself is painful & it effects both his back legs. I haven't had him all his life, but it was something I noticed straight away when I first got him, as he was reluctant to walk & had a lot of muscle wastage in his back end due to inactivity. He's mostly just a bit stiff now, but only on really cold mornings (heading into Winter).
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It is so helpful for people to see that ferrets of all ages and abilities can be switched to a raw diet.
