|
Post by bitbyter on Feb 1, 2015 9:50:38 GMT -5
Ok, cool. Regarding the EG diagnosis. It is pretty rare and USUALLY it is digestive issues (like IBD) ACCOMPANIED with allergic type reactions (like I listed above). The vet might have seen raised eosinophil's in the blood work but those can be caused by a few different things (unfortunately cancer is one). Without the allergic type symptoms I'm not sure how she jumped to Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis. Of both things the vet told you though, the heart is definitely the bigger concern. Hopefully Heather will jump in and offer some advice as she is experienced with heart issues (unfortunately).
|
|
|
Post by bitbyter on Feb 1, 2015 9:56:04 GMT -5
This is how Wilma gets her meds (Prenisolone):
NOTE: If your ferret is on a higher dose of Pred (and most are), it MUST be given with food and often carafate / sulcrate is used as well to protect the stomach (it can cause or aggravate ulcers).
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 10:02:54 GMT -5
That makes me feel better. No she did not ask me any of the things about allergic issues. But could see the bowel and looked inflamed, no air in stomach.
|
|
|
Post by bitbyter on Feb 1, 2015 10:04:59 GMT -5
ah ok, diagnosing EG on just inflamed bowel and raised Eosiphils in the blood (I'm guessing that's what she saw) is a stretch in my limited opinion. Unfortunately, that combo could also point to worse things If it is EG, it is NOT the end of the world as it CAN be treated. Wilma leads a happy and normal life as long as she stays away from her trigger foods and gets her low dose of pred. It took time to wean her down to the that low dose but the key is finding food that does not set him off. Unfortunately, until you find out how bad his heart is, the above may be a moot point.
|
|
|
Post by bitbyter on Feb 1, 2015 10:08:10 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 12:32:52 GMT -5
So about an hour ago I couldn't find Snickers so I squeezed his squeaky long and loud several times. Around the corner comes Grizzly looking wide eyed and perky. I was astonished, to say the least. He stayed up drank some water played with his toy, took it back to its proper place and snuggled up around the toy. Then 5 minutes ago I heard a familiar scratching at the bathroom door. Yup Grizzly. He is giving me heart failure lol.
|
|
|
Post by bitbyter on Feb 1, 2015 13:59:27 GMT -5
Yeah, don't despair to much yet. The inflamed bowel should be manageable unless it turns out to be some form of cancer. The heart issue is what I'd be more concerned about at the moment. Fingers crossed for you two on Monday.
|
|
|
Post by Heather on Feb 1, 2015 15:59:04 GMT -5
The heart condition can be treated and stating it's an absolute death sentence in a few months is wrong. Boris' heart condition was treated and he thrived for the longest time. He was diagnosed before he was 3, treatments started immediately. He died last month from adrenal...not his heart condition. He was over 6 yrs old. He just couldn't do battle on two fronts without his adrenal meds and he didn't respond to lupron. The vet maintained that his diet allowed him to take much higher levels of heart meds. Remember one of the tools of heart medication is lasix, which removes the excess fluids. Think about what happens to kibble ferrets and you will understand why raw feeding works so well for cardiac ferrets ciao
|
|
|
Post by bitbyter on Feb 1, 2015 16:37:50 GMT -5
Thanks Heather!! The more knowledge we can give for when she see's her regular vet, the better.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 19:46:59 GMT -5
Again tonight! Grizzly is up and running around, still not eating, but he is drinking. Come on tomorrow. Thank you Heather. The information on Pawspice, really put my mind at rest. Plus my daughter is going to help me make this decision together. Kinda nice having a soc/psych major who wants to go into hospice care after her masters....
|
|
|
Post by bitbyter on Feb 1, 2015 20:43:13 GMT -5
Pawspice?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 22:13:51 GMT -5
You know like hospice, except for fur footed friends.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 23:30:45 GMT -5
Ok tomorrow we are ready to start serious menu planning. I think they are ready, not fully certain about organ days but worth the try. . This is the whole diet plan, followed by my menu. Average weekly menu would be: 7-9 meals consumable bone 3-4 meals muscle meats[at least 1.5 of which NEEDS to be heart (heart should be about 10% of the total diet)] 1.5 meals of approx 2oz liver and 2oz other organ.(This can change over time depending on how much your ferret eats, but is a good starting point. Total should be about 10% of weekly diet) A bare minimum of 3 proteins are needed to cover your ferret's basic nutritional needs. This can change depending on YOUR ferret. Some do better with a bit less bone, some need a bit more. You'll be able to determine what your ferret needs as time passes and you become accustomed to raw feeding. Before we roll the new program out to them here are a few questions; 1. I sit next to them while they eat, they have become used to my presence (I hand feed new tastes or textures) and eating communally, while I watch every morsel going down and tracking whose eating what and how much. All of them like to come back later. Because of this should I remove their food completely after first feed? Or put leftovers in their cage as I currently do? First way I will certain of amounts eaten. My current way isn't as precise, but they will eat more? You decide. 2. Will you help me (stupid question as I know you will) create a menu with the foods I have on hand this week and then I can do next week? 3. What will I do if organ days are a flop? They are all eating slivers of fresh beef heart, slurry of liver, two of them are eating slivers. Could I mix the organs with egg? Or will this result in poop disasters? 4. I have fresh kidneys, sitting in my freezer as I have no clue what to do with them. 5. My butcher offers the following organs; beef heart, beef liver, pork heart, beef kidneys, no eyes and against Illinois law to sell brain. Is this enough variety or will I need more? I've tried rehydrating freeze dried hearts from duck and goose, turkey livers and beef livers all were a flop. Even he hydrated and slurried. I'm sure with perseverance I could persuade them. But for the price I would prefer to stay with what is locally available. In the morning I will give you a list of all the foods I have prepped. Oh and I do want to keep FDR in their weekly menu. (For when we go camping or on longer trips). Read more: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/146/meat-bone-organ-weekly-menu#ixzz3QYaFCEpZ
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2015 8:29:22 GMT -5
Grizzly ate this morning!!!! I allowed a few licks of pork slurry. Pork is not his favorite, is there something else? He loves chicken, would a slurry be too hard to digest?
|
|
|
Post by bitbyter on Feb 2, 2015 19:04:18 GMT -5
If chicken isn't upsetting his stomach it should be fine. As for the 2oz liver plus 2oz other organ. It should really be based on their meal size, 2oz is not a hard a fast rule because all ferrets eat different amounts. This is why it is important to know how much they actually eat in a day. Otherwise you could be underfeeding or wasting a lot of food. That list of organs looks fine. The butcher should be able to get in chicken hearts and chicken livers. They are usually the most common next to beef. Of course I can work with you to create a menu. As for the amounts they eat. Are they all in the same cage together? If so, just weight what you give them, weight what is left at the end of the day or next morning and that will tell you exactly how much they ate. Track that for a week and you should have their average amount for this time of year (must be done once a month for a year so you learn what is normal for them). Also keep in mind that grizzly most likely doesn't have a normal appetite right now as he is sick. Kidney is just like any other organ. Just cut it up an feed. Kidney's usually have white connective tissue in the middle that should be removed. Organ days are usually a struggle. We'll deal with that when we get to it. Don't imagine problems where there may not be any Did you get to the vet today? What did he say about Grizzly?
|
|