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Post by gfountain on Nov 6, 2014 17:31:25 GMT -5
I completely forgot about Chanel's jaw problem. That may make a difference in how we proceed. Do you know WHY he can't open it? Was there an injury? Has a vet checked it out? I'm going to check with some of the other mentors about his poop issues, and we'll see if we can figure out a way to clear it up. I don't really expect Coco to take to the bone yet either, but you never know with ferrets.. they're so unpredictable. And since he's chewing on stuff, it won't hurt to try it. Hand-feeding is fine at this point. It's great for bonding. You can run the bowl under hot water to warm it up. You can do the same with their food if you want. Put it in a baggie and run some warm water over it for a few minutes, not hot enough to cook it, just enough to take the chill off. You did leave the leftovers with them, right? So hopefully they'll finish it off. Don't worry about Coco still needing the kibble. Just keep reducing the amount each meal. He'll get over it eventually.
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Post by gfountain on Nov 6, 2014 20:05:06 GMT -5
Have you had a fecal done on Chanel recently?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2014 22:25:06 GMT -5
The vet did check Chanel's jaw the first visit I took them in. She's actually the first to notice it after I mentioned he chews his kibble in a weird way. She said it was probably due to some past traumatize or maybe he was born that way. She had advised to do some jaw exercises but that was it, and I haven't done them because he's just too wiggly to hold still. He can open it halfway compared to a normal ferret. A fecal test... no I don't think I did that for either of them. Is it expensive? I did have their poo tested for parasites though. They were all clear. oh, and is it normal for Coco to be pooping a lot less than he was before? He's only pooping one little turd. I'm worried if it's a partial blockage or not.
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Post by gfountain on Nov 7, 2014 9:30:42 GMT -5
A fecal just checks their poop. If it was checked, that was a fecal. How long ago was that? Chanel's poop looks like there is a parasite present. He should probably be seen again and tested. If it's a parasite, a course of antibiotics will clear it up pretty quickly.
Smaller poops are normal on raw. That's one of the great raw benefits, lol. Is the 'one little turd' fully formed, or thin and stringy-looking? Is he straining to poo?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2014 12:55:10 GMT -5
A parasite?! Oh no, okay I will get them checked out again. They had it done last in August. Could he have gotten it from the raw? Coco's poop is fine then. I 'm just a worrier!
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Post by gfountain on Nov 7, 2014 22:26:04 GMT -5
No, he would not (should not anyway) have gotten it from the raw meat.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2014 0:34:02 GMT -5
That's a relief... My vet said to just drop off their poop so i'll do that next week.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2014 10:35:52 GMT -5
Gina, I didn't realize that they can get bacterial overgrowth when eating kibble with raw...is this true? I've been mixing their powdered kibble with the raw.
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Post by gfountain on Nov 8, 2014 11:50:41 GMT -5
It is and it isn't. To put it simply, dry and wet foods digest at different rates. Because kibble is dry, it takes longer to digest than the wet raw food. If the kibble has not digested and passed through their systems, it can slow down the movement of the raw food, which then gives time for any bacteria to take hold. BUT, you're not feeding DRY kibble and raw soup at the same time. When you powder the kibble and mix it with the soup, it becomes wet and thus does away with the kibble/raw (dry/wet) issue. This is a very common method of introducing soups to kibble babies. If it caused problems, we would not suggest it as a switching tool. I promise that I will never knowingly tell you to do something that will harm your fuzzies. If I even question the safety of something, I WILL check with the senior mentors and get their advice about how to proceed.
Chanel's funky poops started BEFORE you started switching them so the raw food could not have caused the problem. I'm glad the vet will check poops without an exam.. easier for them, cheaper for you. Let me know what he says, and DON'T let him convince you that the raw meat caused the problem!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2014 20:23:20 GMT -5
Oh I understand now. Whew, I thought I was doing it all wrong. Thanks for the clarification!
And I plan not to mention that I feed raw UNLESS the vet somehow asks if I do.
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Post by gfountain on Nov 10, 2014 13:47:54 GMT -5
How are they doing today? I'm sorry I've been a little out of touch.. my well-ordered household got dumped on its head this weekend with a surprise visit from my young'uns and 2 NEW FURBABIES!!!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2014 20:24:14 GMT -5
Oh! You got two new fuzzbutts?! That's awesome~ Don't worry about me at the moment, not much to report. I'm dropping by the vets tomorrow. Couldn't do it today because I was waiting for my fuzzies to poop. They definitely don't do it as much
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2014 12:30:44 GMT -5
Hey Gina The vet said nothing's wrong with their poop, they have no parasites and the bacteria is at the right level... so I don't know I guess they just have runny poop. I say 'they' beacause Coco's poop has started to look like Chanel's so I think it's the raw chicken? Their stomachs must be trying to digest it? *sigh* I really hope this passes.
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Post by gfountain on Nov 11, 2014 12:49:05 GMT -5
Runnier poops are normal on raw, especially on soup. I was worried about the seediness more than the looseness. How are they doing with their soups? What consistency is it now?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2014 14:20:16 GMT -5
It's kind of back and forth. Yesterday I gave them slivers in the soup and they ate it well. I tried chunks but they can't handle it yet- Chanel just stashes the pieces and Coco spits it out. So today it was back to thick soup with kibble.
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