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Post by gfountain on Jul 21, 2014 19:25:57 GMT -5
Those poops look like normal soupie poopiez I notice in your food journal that you're adding 1/2 tsp of ferretone to each meal. The 'tone will make his poops a little looser and oily also. Start cutting back on the 'tone in his soup and see if he'll still eat it. I also recommend that you start cutting his 'tone with a healthier alternative - a fish oil, emu oil, EVOO. If you add a little of the healthier oil to the 'tone bottle every time you give him some, he'll hardly notice that it's changing. Also, start reducing the amount of water you add so you'll have a slightly thicker soup. Do it very gradually so he doesn't fuss about the change. How much kibble is he still eating?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2014 20:34:42 GMT -5
Today I added about 0.5 oz of water to his 0.5 oz soup so it was a bit thicker than the others and he didn't like it as much but I still managed to get him to eat most of it. I will pick up an alternative to ferretone possibly tomorrow evening. He is eating about 0.6 oz of kibble each night.
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Post by gfountain on Jul 22, 2014 9:05:53 GMT -5
So he's only eating kibble at night? Is he eating the soup on his own from the dish yet, or are you having to spoon feed him?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2014 12:27:47 GMT -5
He is only eating the kibble at night and I have to spoon feed him the soup. I have to hold him sometimes for him to eat the soup but other times he will eat it when I put him down.
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Post by gfountain on Jul 22, 2014 13:29:17 GMT -5
OK, so let's get him eating from the dish consistently! When you feed him, let him see that the spoon with yummies is coming from the dish. Each bite hold the spoon a little closer to the dish until he's eating from the dish itself. This might take a couple of days but keep working at it. He has to get used to eating with his head in a lowered position AND eating from the dish. Then you can set him and the dish on the table/floor/wherever you want to feed him, but STAY WITH HIM. You may need to repeat the spoon-to-the-dish steps a couple of times for him to get the idea that you want him to eat right there, and you may even need to keep your hand on him and talk to him while he eats. After a few meals, you should be able to stop touching him and just let him feel you near and hear your voice. You'll move away from him gradually, staying in the same room for a few meals, then coming in to check on him, until finally he should be able to eat on his own whether you're there or not. You have to do this in baby steps, but you'll get there!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2014 13:46:10 GMT -5
Okay I'll work on that, but I don't think talking to him will work because I'm pretty sure he's deaf, lol.
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Post by gfountain on Jul 22, 2014 14:01:00 GMT -5
Ah, well then, you're right, talking won't help, lol. The point is just that he knows you're close, so he can learn to feel comfortable eating from the dish on his own without you having to be right beside him.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 12:52:26 GMT -5
I am having a bit of trouble with Cloud's AM meals. I volunteer at a wild bird sanctuary most mornings until noon so I usually can't feed him until about 1 pm.
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Post by gfountain on Jul 23, 2014 19:16:59 GMT -5
What time do you leave for the sanctuary? Is there someone else who can feed him in the mornings? Until he's eating on his own from the dish, you may just need to get up a few minutes earlier in the morning. You don't have to spend AS MUCH time with him in the morning, but you need to try to get some soup down him twice a day. Your commitment to this process is critical to the success of the switch, so this is something you'll have to work out. Once he's eating on his own, you can just leave his soup in the cage for him when you leave, and work on building up to slivers, chunks, and bones in the evenings. But the first hurdle is getting him to eat from the dish BY HIMSELF. Until then, he needs some of your time in the mornings.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2014 12:57:17 GMT -5
I have time in the mornings to feed him but I leave at 8 am so there sometimes isn't anyone home who can feed him while I'm away. I will teach my mom how to feed him so she can do it when she is available. July 20-23 food journal: www.dropbox.com/s/5cu446ss2cuglal/Food%20Journal%20July%2020%20to%2023.docxI forgot to mention this yesterday but I will be going to my cottage this Sunday for about a week. I won't have access to internet but I will be bringing Cloud with me and will continue with the soups. My parents wanted to go on vacation where I couldn't bring Cloud but we managed to compromise. I will update you on Cloud's progress as soon as I get back home.
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Post by gfountain on Jul 24, 2014 14:10:23 GMT -5
If you can feed him before you leave at 8:00, there should be no need for your mom to feed him again. If he eats an ounce or so, he shouldn't need to eat between 8 and 1, when you said you get home. You can leave soup in the cage for him while you're gone if you're worried about him. Maybe he'll get hungry and go ahead and eat it on his own.
Let's start working on slivers now too. The easiest way to make slivers is to use a sharp knife and 'shave' some pieces off of a frozen chunk of chicken. Just add a couple of slivers to his dinner and try to get him to eat those. You may need to actually put the slivers into his mouth so he'll know they're food. It's possible that he'll prefer solid meat to soup. My baby girl refuses to eat anything that's soupy... she wants REAL meatz, lol.
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Post by gfountain on Jul 24, 2014 14:11:41 GMT -5
Congratulations on working out a vacation compromise with your parents! Where is your cottage? Have fun!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2014 17:51:16 GMT -5
There are already small pieces of meat that didn't get blended like tendons. He will eat them on his own and run away to chew on them.
My cottage is 2 hours drive from my house. We have 38 acres plus our neighbors' 500+ acres. Cloud escaped from his old cage once and wandered across a shallow stream and I'm surprised that I even found him.
I might switch vets because the one I have now is against raw ferret diets and says that feeding Cloud the Marshalls food is "just fine".
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2014 11:31:36 GMT -5
So this morning, I put Cloud in front of his bowl of soup and he started eating it without fuss. When I came home, I noticed that he had eaten the rest of the soup by himself!
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Post by gfountain on Jul 25, 2014 15:09:45 GMT -5
Way to go, Cloud!!! I'm so proud of him! I didn't realize he was already eating little pieces, so he's farther along than I thought. That means it's time to step up the game a little. Whatever size those pieces are that he's already eating, cut up some more the same size and a little bit bigger. Start mixing those in, gradually increasing the number of meat pieces and decreasing the amount of soup. He's doing really well!
Is he still eating kibble? How much?
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