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Post by teric506 on Mar 26, 2011 12:58:58 GMT -5
I think they are eating 1-2 oz a day. Jesse's poops were funky before I added the duck soup. She doesnt eat a lot of the chicken fat.The only freeze dried flavor I have is chicken but I did order some lamb thinking it may be easier on her stomach. I have never tried her on anything other than chicken. I think even the Evo kibble was chicken. I will back off on the duck soup then, maybe to every other or every third day? I was just thinking it probably was high in calories so it would help her put on a little weight. Should I try the lamb when I get it or is there something else I should try first?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2011 13:11:30 GMT -5
I would definitely try the lamb when you get it. It is great for upset tummies, but the taste can put some ferrets off. However, I find my girls will eat any type of freeze dried as long as it's blended smoothly. For now keep her on the chicken and let me know how her stools look. I don't think it's a chicken sensitivity, and most likely it's just her system adjusting to increases in fat, protein, water. There's also more bacteria in raw, and that can upset tummies. If it continues even on the freeze dried, we can try supplements like probiotics that help with gut bacteria and pancreatic enzymes that help digest the food for her, so it's easier on her tummy. Every other to every third day sounds fine for the duck soup. Keep me posted
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Post by teric506 on Mar 26, 2011 13:24:28 GMT -5
ok sounds like a plan. Should I get the probiotics just so i have them in case and what should i get in case?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2011 13:26:39 GMT -5
I'll have to go through some threads and find the particular kind of probiotics and the amount to feed. I'll post back here in a bit after I find that out for you
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2011 17:21:52 GMT -5
This is Sherry's response about the funky poop issue: "Could be a sensitivity. Do you know if her fuzz has had funky stools off and on since she got her? Or is it sudden? If it's a bacterial overload of the gut, the stool will be almost foamy, and have a foul odour as well. High fat content would cause a seedy appearance, but it shouldn't be yellow. That indicates it's going through to fast to be well aborbed. Same with the green. So yes, it's possible she's just fed it enough that a sensitivity has been triggered. Best bet is to avoid it for about a month, then try again. It's the only way to know for sure." As far as probiotics go, I'd get one made for cats. Sherry uses prozyme probiotics, but you might not be able to get that. Let me know how the stools look and if they're bad on freeze dried we'll have to find another protein for her. Stools will be funky for a while. There is the stress of a new diet, and new ferret, so I think it'll be okay
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2011 19:17:19 GMT -5
Sherry pointed out to me that there is garlic as an ingredient in the duck soup mix. It is toxic for ferrets (and cats) and shouldn't be fed. So I would cut the duck soup mix.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2011 19:17:16 GMT -5
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Post by teric506 on Mar 27, 2011 13:36:29 GMT -5
Oh I had no idea about the garlic, I will stop giving that to her right away. Thanks for the info on the probiotics. Her stools are still seedy looking and yellow, she has had a couple that have looked pretty normal since yesterday but the rest have been funky looking, I have not gotten the lamb freeze dried yet so she is still getting the chicken freeze dried. I though I read somewhere that plain yogurt can be helpful. Should I be doing that along with the pumpkin or should I wait to see how she does once she tries the lamb? Hopefully it should come in tomorrow.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 27, 2011 13:48:59 GMT -5
You could try a small amount of plain, full fat yogurt. About 1 tsp. Some ferrets don't tolerate it well, because of the lactose. It can cause loose stools. I would keep feeding some pumpkin and the freeze dried. Once the lamb comes in, and we get her stools looking better, we can try other proteins and then maybe try chicken again. It could just be tummy upsets from the switch, stress of the new ferret. Keep an eye on her, watch for dehydration and lethargy.
How are the other two doing? Are their stools okay?
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Post by teric506 on Mar 28, 2011 7:02:46 GMT -5
I think I will hold off on the yogurt for now, I dont want to upset her tummy any more than it already is.
My other girls seem to be doing good, their stools are a little loose but not like Jessie's. I am having the hubby pick up a package of chicken hearts and gizzards at walmart today, I cant remember if the package has liver in it or not though. They are doing pretty good with the chicken thighs and eat almost 1 a day between the both of them.
I tried putting some chicken peices in Jessie's soup and she only ate a little bit of them so I just gave her the freeze dried soup this morning and will try making a freeze dried lamb soup tonight for her if it comes in today. It is hard to tell if she is lethargic because she has alway slept most of the time, she has never really played or anything like that. I have seen her drinking water but she is not drinking that much. Her freeze dried soup is pretty watery though so she should be ok with that right?
I am just hoping that once we get her diet settled down and she is used to the little one her attitude will perk up a little. I still have her separated becasue Josie terrizes her trying to get her to play and I feel bad for Jessie becasue she doesnt want to play.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2011 12:33:57 GMT -5
As long as she's eating good soup and drinking on her own, I wouldn't worry - it's when they refuse to eat on their own that's a concern. Could you post any pics of her stools? It might be easier to try to figure out what's going on. Are they formed at all? Watery? Also, is her anus red and irritated looking? Just want to make sure she's doing okay That's great news about Josie and Jasmine! They are making up for lost time and eating like crazy - it will slow down with time So what size chunks are the other two on? And where are at with boned meats? Just a heads up, my packs of gizzards and hearts hardly ever have any hearts in them I usually only find a couple in there. Gizzards are good, but they count as a muscle meat. If you can't find anything in the store, ask the butcher is they every carry hearts and organs. They might be able to tell you when they have them
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Post by teric506 on Mar 28, 2011 12:51:35 GMT -5
Ok good, she is still eating and drinking on her own so that makes me feel better. I will take a pic tonight of her stools and post them. They are sort of formed and brown half the time and then the other they are not formed at all and yellow.I have not looked at her anus so I will do that as soon as I get home too. I am still messing with how much pumpkin to give her because when I give her a lot in her soup her stool is formed but she goes a ton and when I back off on the pumpkin her stool gets all yellow and loose again. I just cant seem to find a good balance yet. I have been about to cut a chicken thigh in half and hang it at the back of the cage in the morning and then the other half at night before I go to bed for the night and they have been eating them bone and all pretty good. Doesnt it figure walmart would do that I will call the local butcher if the package is crappy at walmart. I ordered some of the prozyme and should have it by the end of the week and the freeze dried lamb did come today so I am going to make soup with that tonight.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2011 13:10:04 GMT -5
That's great! So they're eating it off the hook fine, bone and all. That is great progress. I think they're definitely ready for a new protein. Just checking, their stools are good, right? As long as that's good, I think it's time to add the next protein source. Another boned source would be good, so turkey wing tips/necks. Pork and beef usually count for muscle days, because most bones are too hard. Some ferrets can eat pork spare ribs, but I never find any for a decent price. Mine love chicken feet, and I feed those for snacks and on boneless days. Cornish game hen are good, too. Let me know what you find. I usually just buy according to sales Just curious, do you have any discount grocery stores like save-a-Lot or krogers? Those are great for cheap meats If you can't find a good steady supply for hearts, you can buy a taurine supplement in the meantime. Also, try and pick up some livers. I recommend getting some good freezer bags and portioning everything out before you freeze it. It is a PAIN to have to thaw everything out just to get a bit of liver
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Post by teric506 on Mar 28, 2011 16:51:48 GMT -5
Hi Jackie, Here are pics of jessie's anal thingy and here stools. My little ones stools are mushy looking but not like Jessie's and they are eating bone and all off of the hook ;D. Should I still try some turkey with them? I think we have a save a lot around here somewhere. I will pick up some taurine powder in the meantime while I am looking for organ meat. What do you think about the pics?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2011 18:53:31 GMT -5
Mushy stools are okay for the others So about Jesse - freeze dried stools are normally nice and formed, brown in color. So the fact that her stools are icky could mean she's sensitive to chicken. So what I'd recommend putting her on the lamb and seeing how her stools look. We should probably leave poultry alone for about 2-3 weeks to let her tummy get back adjusted. Once you get the probiotics you can add those to her mush, too. So turkey would be a good place to go next with the other two. It's similar to chicken and hopefully they take to it well I love save-a-lot because they always have meats for a good price. This week they have chicken quarters (leg + thigh) for 49 cents a lb. You have to buy 10 lbs, but that is a great deal. I also buy whole young chickens for about $1 a lb and chop the whole thing up. Ferrets can handle almost all the bones so it's a great deal. Pork sirloin roast is 1.39 a lb at save-a-lot this week too. For the taurine powder, just make sure it's pure taurine. No other ingredients
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