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Post by Celene on Jan 6, 2015 0:53:17 GMT -5
Today I bought chicken gizzards and since neither girl would eat them outright, I cut them into small pieces and mixed it in with their commercial grind (which happens to be chicken today). Nova seemed to not really notice there was anything different with her food, but I could tell Mocha was unimpressed. I was watching each time she ate some because I noticed she was just spitting the gizzard out (mostly to the side of the food dish). By the time they were done they had managed to eat all the grind and leave a fairly significant amount of gizzard sitting in the bottom of the dish (and around it). Fast forward a couple hours - Mocha wakes up for a snack. I noticed a couple times she looked like she was eating something chewy without just spitting it and was feeling rather proud of herself when all of a sudden she jumps back and shakes her head. She then started chewing really exaggeratedly and I assumed she had something stuck in her teeth, but she just became more and more agitated and started gagging and shaking her head. Then she started pawing at her mouth. I brought her to the bathroom (has the best lighting) and scruffed her and looked inside her mouth. Couldn't see anything. I did notice a bright red spot on the roof of her mouth (I'm assuming she got a little cut when pawing at her mouth. I put her down to see if she was any better, and she ran to her litter box and started frantically rubbing her face in her litter, which I've NEVER seen her do before. I checked her mouth again and still saw nothing. She didn't seem to be having any trouble breathing so I gave her some salmon oil. I put her down in her hammock and she ran down to (a different litter box) and started rubbing her face in it again and then turned around and made what I can only describe as a stress/panic poop. By then she still seemed to be losing her mind, but wasn't chewing or focussing on her head, so I gave her a little more salmon oil while I stroked her and eventually calmed her down. She seems fine now other than the fact that she's quite active for this time of day (nothing like a little adrenaline to wake you up I guess). I'm terrified to leave her alone now with the gizzard (or anything else for that matter) and my heart is still pounding. Has anyone else experienced this? I'm tagging @poncesmom and Sherry since they've already put up with my dumb questions very patiently and been extremely helpful. My heart is still pounding, and it doesn't help that I'm already a tad worried about her since she's put on quite a bit of weight in the last couple weeks.
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Post by Heather on Jan 6, 2015 1:11:36 GMT -5
Getting food caught isn't uncommon especially while they're first learning. An experienced ferret would have backed up and coughed if it was caught in their throat and if caught in their teeth they become very adept at hooking it out. Everything has a bit of a learning curve, even eating meats. You will find that they will learn how to care for this themselves. In the beginning you will have to rescue them occasionally. I had one boy who would come to me to pick the occasional bone that got stuck between his teeth. When your little one does this look right at the back of their mouth, the last molar type..meat can get stuck there and then dangles at the back of their throat causing them to gag. I use a pair of tweezers to pull the offending piece of meat out. I don't suggest you use your fingers....even the best Marshals ferret will bite ciao
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Post by Celene on Jan 6, 2015 1:33:57 GMT -5
Makes sense. I'd be scared to put my tweezers in her mouth (unless they make rubber-tipped ones or something). How do you get them to stop thrashing? Even when I scruffed her she wouldn't keep still.
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Post by Sherry on Jan 6, 2015 10:35:50 GMT -5
That type of panic is fairly normal when they are first learning. As Heather mentioned, they DO learn how to do it on their own. I find rescue remedy actually helps them calm fairly quickly when dabbed on the nose.
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Post by Celene on Jan 6, 2015 12:03:19 GMT -5
I've seen many people post online that they use rescue remedy but have looked for it in several stores with no luck. Are any of the other cat-calming products similar? Most of them are chamomile-based I think. Actually, most have ingredients similar to my "sleepy time" tea.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2015 12:53:38 GMT -5
I've seen many people post online that they use rescue remedy but have looked for it in several stores with no luck. Are any of the other cat-calming products similar? Most of them are chamomile-based I think. Actually, most have ingredients similar to my "sleepy time" tea. I'm glad that everything is okay now. Like Heather said, it can happen and it's scarey. It's rather like when we first give a toddler a piece of hot dog or a grape. We get nervous and worried. Bach's Rescue Remedy is available on Amazon. It's a good thing to have in your ferret first aid kit. www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Bach%27s+Rescue+Remedy
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Post by Celene on Jan 6, 2015 13:40:52 GMT -5
Haha I've never even held a baby/toddler, let alone fed one a piece of food. (Which is kind of scary because now that I'm married the pressure is on!) Mostly I just don't want to pay shipping if the products in my local pet store (which is family owned so I'd be supporting a local business) are comparable. Also sorry for posting this in "emergency" since technically the emergency was over when I posted it. I'm a rather paranoid ferrent because my first baby, Truffles, went so suddenly. One morning she woke up and couldn't walk properly and was super listless, and we lost her the same day. I even have video of her dooking and dancing two days before Now I always freak out when something is happening or just "off" because I'm scared to miss any symptoms.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2015 16:35:29 GMT -5
mine just got choked on gizzard yesterday-----one thing i will never do again and that is cut it up in chunks----either whole or halved where ligament is--- or in thin slices---but not chunks-- i think they bypass the chewing or it slips down throat--- dont know for sure.
don't let them have knuckles of bones unless it is attached to bone------mine was rolling one around in mouth. they r very slippery and hardly can be crushed with a hammer without them slipping around-- thankfully,i got it out of her mouth before something happened. she could not crush it. i am so leary now that i cut off all knuckles or cut into them to make managleable (giggle)
GLAD ALL IS WELL
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Post by Sherry on Jan 7, 2015 1:33:21 GMT -5
Bach's remedy's are based on flower essences, so unfortunately it is doubtful as to whether the other products will be as safe or as efficacious for the ferrets. Example is I use omega/alpha EZ rest for my senile kitty. I won't however, use it for the ferrets given the size difference
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Post by Celene on Jan 7, 2015 2:11:11 GMT -5
Well luckily Sherry I got the bright idea to go to my local holistic pharmacy/health food store and they carried rescue remedy! I got the human one, but the consultant assured me the formula was identical as the pet one and the only difference is branding. I will do some research to confirm before I test it on my fuzzies. I bought the gummies as well to try on myself since I am a bit of a skeptic (not of herbal remedies, just that I have used several sleepy/calming teas and none of them ever had the herbs listed in RR). I took two even though the dose said "chew one as needed" and have been feeling rather sleepy and out of it since. It could, however, also be due to the time of day and/or placebo effect but overall I think it seems pretty effective.
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Post by raynebc on Jan 7, 2015 16:31:15 GMT -5
The human rescue remedy can contain alcohol. It's probably safer to get the pet one.
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Post by Celene on Jan 7, 2015 16:56:04 GMT -5
The human rescue remedy can contain alcohol. It's probably safer to get the pet one. Interesting. From Bach's website (FAQ page): Q – Can I give the original RESCUE Remedy to my pet?
A – The original RESCUE Remedy formula is safe to administer to your pet. The only difference between the original formula and the Pet formula is that RESCUE Remedy Pet is alcohol free. However, some Rescue Remedy products such as RESCUE Pastilles and RESCUE Gum contain ingredients like xylitol, which are not suitable for pet consumption.
According to the same FAQ, the "original" (human) formula is 27% alcohol, of course it would only be a couple drops. The lady at the health food store told me the pet formula was new and that before it came out people used the "original" formula on their pets. One day I will have a phone with internet and be able to look this kind of thing up on the spot before I spend money.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2015 17:22:41 GMT -5
Haha I've never even held a baby/toddler, let alone fed one a piece of food. (Which is kind of scary because now that I'm married the pressure is on!) Mostly I just don't want to pay shipping if the products in my local pet store (which is family owned so I'd be supporting a local business) are comparable. Also sorry for posting this in "emergency" since technically the emergency was over when I posted it. I'm a rather paranoid ferrent because my first baby, Truffles, went so suddenly. One morning she woke up and couldn't walk properly and was super listless, and we lost her the same day. I even have video of her dooking and dancing two days before Now I always freak out when something is happening or just "off" because I'm scared to miss any symptoms. Haha I've never even held a baby/toddler, let alone fed one a piece of food. (Which is kind of scary because now that I'm married the pressure is on!)
lol, take your time. Ferrets are much more fun and alot less expensive. Now I always freak out when something is happening or just "off" because I'm scared to miss any symptoms.
I can understand that and I'm so sorry about Truffles. Happily, you have the forum and a wealth of ferret experience to draw upon.
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Post by Heather on Jan 7, 2015 22:44:39 GMT -5
I use the original formula and always have done. Yes it does have alcohol but if you're really uptight about it you can heat it off. For the amount that is given for how often it's given I don't worry about it ciao
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Post by Sherry on Jan 7, 2015 22:47:39 GMT -5
I also use the human one and always have, since I can access it locally.
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