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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2013 15:31:59 GMT -5
Lately my three year old girl has been having coughing/hacking attacks as if she is trying to get something up. I've followed normal protocol and administered lax and had her drink some water because she grooms herself like crazy and also her sister (who has longer hair and is shedding profusely). But I've also read that it could be heart failure. Yesterday she hacked so much she threw up some white bile (once, right after a dose of lax). It seems she is in distress when shes hacking, running around the cage coughing/gagging. It isn't so bad now, randomly she will get out of bed to cough/hack and then go back to sleep. Thankfully, when she is in a deeper sleep she breathes pretty normally but does lick her lips almost constantly until she starts to dream. Eating/drinking/poop is fine. They seem to be "attacks" as asthmatics would get. I have a vet appt. Thursday but did anyone else have this problem? And is there anything I could look out for or do?
Thank you so much, Worried Weasel Mom
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Post by Heather on Jul 8, 2013 15:53:01 GMT -5
My first thought would be hair, but it's good to get a vet to check her out. Coughing can also be heart issues so having a vet make a diagnosis is probably best. Is she kibble fed? Is there a lot of hair in her stool? In a case such as this some pumpkin might indeed be in order or even a raw egg yolk to help move the hair if this is indeed hair. You can also keep some RR (rescue remedy) on hand for when she becomes upset over her coughing
ciao
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2013 16:38:17 GMT -5
Will canned organic pumpkin do? A spoonful? She is kibble fed, I feed her solely Wysong Epigen 90...I used to mix that and ultimate 8 in 1 but the shape of the kibble would get lodged in the roof of her mouth. I have been hesitant to start her on a raw food diet because of all of the possible contaminants/bacteria in the meat. I've never heard of the RR before..can you please share the recipe?
Many thanks!!!!!!!!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2013 17:55:38 GMT -5
Ferrets tummies are super strong, you don't have to worry about bacteria like we would have too! Dax my 3 1/2 yr old was hacking like crazy, I gave him some pumpkin and some egg whites and he hasn't coughed since, id try the egg before the pumpkin tho, hope she's ok!!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2013 18:11:21 GMT -5
Saleena, you need to make sure you feed yolk along with the white. Feeding just egg whites can cause biotin deficiencies.
Also there is nothing to fear. The only time there's a problem with bacteria is if you feed raw too soon after kibble, but if you switch fully to raw then the only risk is how the bacteria affects you. Ferrets have a very fast metabolism and digest raw within approximately 4 hours, which is too fast for bacteria to multiply and make them sick.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2013 18:13:33 GMT -5
oops sorry, I should of specified my mentor said the same thing! I tried leaving it whole but they wont touch it unless I whip it together and hand feed, thank you for the clear up though (;
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2013 18:43:25 GMT -5
Thanks! There is a farm near my house that sells fresh eggs. I will pick some up...With that being said, I will continue to feed kibble for some time, but you described that feeding raw too soon after kibble may cause a problem with bacteria. Does that include feeding a raw egg before/after they eat?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2013 18:47:40 GMT -5
I'm not sure if eggs are different, but the rule of thumb is to feed raw 4 hours after and before feeding kibble.
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Post by Sherry on Jul 8, 2013 19:19:20 GMT -5
Part of the problem comes from mixing wet with dry in their tummies. It can cause some upsets for them. Definitely rule out heart, but a hair stuck in the throat will cause some nasty sounding coughing and vomiting. RR is Bach's Rescue Remedy. Just a drop rubbed into an ear or paw pad will help calm her. And it's perfectly safe to use. And here's some reading to do about raw feeding an obligate carnivore holisticferret60.proboards.com/board/47/raw-science
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