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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 20:45:10 GMT -5
I have a 2 year old boy who has had nothing but problems for the last 3 months that no one can seem to figure out. The vet I work for "kinda" sees ferrets but not enough for me to trust her, so I take my boy 3 hours away (closest ferret doctor). I just recently discovered that the food I feed (wysong epigen 90) had a formula change that I was unaware of and my boy has had diarrhea ever since and was treated for IBD with no avail. Now all of sudden starting yesterday, he is vomiting after eating nearly every time, and even after drinking yesterday. I took him to work and my vet said he is fine, no food or water for the rest of the day and night and we did subQ fluids. I was very upset, because i know my boy and I knew he wasn't right. I fed him on and off ...little pieces of his kibble, and he maintained it fine....now again tonight when i get home from work he is throwing up after eating again. I gave him feline science diet I/D this morning and he kept that down fine. I dont feel it is a blockage because he is going to the bathroom, and some have actually been normal. when I got home tonight he went and it started out normal and got dark. Im at a loss as to what to do, because 3 hours is a long drive that i just cant afford at the moment. I have received the new prototype of epigen 90 in mail and started him on that with mixing the old, and henpicked the new out and ate it. Ive tried to start him on new foods but it seems impossible, it took my 3 weeks of syringe feeding i/d for me to get him to eat it voluntarily. My brother bought him on a whim and i ended up taking him with me when i moved out, so the first year of his life with us was just epigen 90 because i was scared to try anything else and my brother refused to feed him raw. I guess my question is, what are everyones thoughts? Im at my wits end  |
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Post by Heather on Jun 18, 2014 20:52:49 GMT -5
Considering that he can keep the all the other foods down except the epigen 90 it rather goes without saying.....your food has to be switched. Whatever the change, he can't tolerate it. I cannot suggest anything other than raw, that's all I feed so you will have to wait for others to step in and offer a different solution. It was this rather careless disregard for the animals they feed was the reason why I changed from feeding kibbles and manufactured foods (where I have no control over the ingredients) I have long ago lost faith in companies who care more about their bottom line than the creatures they're creating food for.
good luck
ciao
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 20:59:31 GMT -5
I plan on switching him to raw, but i need to use the kibble to do it right now. Even before the newly formulated bag of Epigen 90 he had boughts of diarrhea and lethargy, and his blood work came back with indicators of IBD. The vomiting is something entirely new which he has never had before, which is why Im concerned. I don't think making the switch to raw at the moment when he is already down is a good thing. As far as ferrets are concerned, I agree at this point and my limited experience that raw is the way to go, as far as any other animal, then no, I don't believe in raw. But thats neither here nor there.
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Post by Heather on Jun 18, 2014 21:13:47 GMT -5
He would need a biopsy to confirm IBD...that's the unfortunate problem with that diagnosis. Most vets make the diagnosis on symptoms unless they can't control it. The problem that I see is that you've basically got to figure out how to make the switch with as little issue as possible, the major factor is to get him off the epigen ASAP. The Epigen is aggravating the situation to the point of being dangerous to your ferret. How you choose to do this is going to be your major issue. I never use kibble to switch to raw, especially in a ferret with a troubled stomach. Both Katt and Sherry have dealt with IBD ferrets more recently than myself. I've not had to deal with this in years.
ciao
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 21:26:21 GMT -5
He eats the science diet feline i/d, which is the prescription gastrointestinal line, which I could use to make the switch, but this is going to take weeks with this guy. I do have the Wysong archetype flash dried raw which I've been trying to feed for a long time. So what am I to do while attempting the switch to keep him nourished?
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Post by Sherry on Jun 19, 2014 8:20:58 GMT -5
Hi, you little guy really does have trouble, poor lad. It sounds like he has a possible allergy to something in the food. One of mine does that with beef.
Honestly I'd powder up the freeze dried in a clean coffee grinder, then rehydrate and just start finger feeding it to him to help with a complete switch.
I am no help with kibbles either as I haven't fed them in years. Again, I was raw feeding my guy with IBD so it was easy to do an elimination diet to find what was triggering his episodes. However he had no vomiting with his.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2014 16:09:03 GMT -5
I'm so sorry that your little guy is having such problems. I'm a new Mentor in Training, and the Senior Mentors can correct me, if need be.
I would go to the store and buy some small jars of baby food. 1st or 2nd stage Heinz, Gerber, Beechnut with gravy. Plain turkey, plain chicken, anything plain with no fillers. Sit on the floor and offer it from a spoon. Dab your finger in it and see if he will lick it off your finger or use a syringe, if he doesn't accept it. He does need some nourishment and I know how anxious you feel, when he's not eating. Its not a long term plan, but it will get some nourishment in him, while you figure this problem out.
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Post by gfountain on Jun 19, 2014 18:48:52 GMT -5
I could have missed it, but as I was reading through I didn't see any mention of trying raw soup. If you're planning to switch him to raw anyway, make him some soup using the recipe in the files and try it.
And as poncesmom said, you can use baby food temporarily to get some nourishment in him.. beechnut stage 2 chicken or turkey.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2014 19:48:37 GMT -5
Thanks for the help so far. Here is where I am at. I mushed the flash dried as fine as i can get it until i get a coffee grinder and i syringe fed him the water from it soaking...and he is having nothing to do with it. He freaks out and wipes his face all over the floor. I guess Im just going to have to be very persistent and eventually he will catch on. Ive dine that with baby food as well and Have the same result. Im sure I have the most stubborn boy ever. Im going to try the raw soup once I get groceries tomorrow night after work, since Ive been working late every night and see if I can get him interested in that. I know he is hungry...he is following me around wanting the canned feline I/D. Ive left a couple pieces of the prototype epigen 90 i received and he wants nothing to do with it....I guess if he gets hungry enough he will eat it.
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Post by gfountain on Jun 19, 2014 20:06:49 GMT -5
Try mixing the soups/baby food/whatever you're trying to get into him with the cat food.
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Post by Sherry on Jun 20, 2014 0:48:38 GMT -5
His response is pretty typical behaviour with the wee drama queens  Don't be surprised by spitting, retching, gagging, whimpering etc. sooner or later they pull most of it before finally realizing that yes- it actually DOES taste good to them  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2014 20:48:02 GMT -5
 Finally!!! After fighting me non-stop and me not putting as much food out to make him hungry...he just randomly decides to eat the freeze dried raw on his own....now to give him a few days with that and start introducing raw....thanks for they help and support! |
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Post by Thérèse on Jun 21, 2014 7:14:13 GMT -5
Yeah sometimes I think they just want to show it's their decision!
Years ago I had a cat I had to give meds to. After ages of trying to get the pill into her with no success, I just held out my flat hand with the pill on it and said it's to help you get better. She gobbled it straight up!
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Post by unclejoe on Jun 21, 2014 10:46:10 GMT -5
Stubborn blighter. I'm a little late I guess. I was going to suggest mixing it all up and adding a little Ferretone, if he likes that. Congrats! I hope he's hooked and given up the drama.
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