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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2015 21:46:00 GMT -5
Alvin ate huge slivers tonight! Yay! I got him a thin pork tenderloin and whacked it with the meat tenderizer a few times. Sliced it in longer thin strips. I think he swallowed them mostly. His appetite has been bigger and he is still getting baby food but there is a lot of meat!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2015 13:00:31 GMT -5
That's good but remember if he's eating grind, make sure to brush his teeth. Also make sure he's eating the allot amt of heart and organ meals. Sometimes, it's okay if he doesnt eat it but don't make it a habit. They can become deficient and for sure they need taurine, and that is found in the heart, tongue, brain, etc. Same goes with bones, make sure he's getting them or getting the eggshells. I want him to progress further but he's being a little stubborn =/ Tough love time?
That really sucks =( I hope you're feeling better depsite the scrapes and bruises.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2015 14:03:47 GMT -5
He is still getting hearts and liver and eggshell but I will be sure to keep those on schddule. He will get more slivers tonight without the grounds. Liver is on the plan for tomorrow. Quail will be on tonight's menu as well to see if I can get him on some bone. Now I'm trying to give him oil or babyfood after a meal instead of mixing it in. I also put a tad on the spoon to get him liking then put everything in front of him. He is a stubborn little fert sometimes! We are also supposed to get an older foster boy this weekend. It's supposed to be a temp playmate for Alvin but if they do end up buddies we may keep him and be failed foster parents. I don't know anything about him yet and the rescue will have to evaluate him to see if he is adoptable. If he isn't then he will become a permanent resident of the rescue.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2015 19:13:52 GMT -5
Alvin had his first dinner of fairly large pork slivers! No grounds and a little bit of baby food (but not much). He also had a healthy serving of egg shells. I had to hold him for a couple of the larger slivers, he gave the largest sliver to Colby-cat and he is finally chewing!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2015 10:17:07 GMT -5
Oh! I'm very happy to read that!!!! Hey, holding the meat is okay too. Baby steps, remember. Ahhhh and he's chewingggg!!! :boing: That's phenomenal newsssss!!! I couldn't be happier to be honest. Keep up the fantastic work with Mr. Alvin! That's cute that he shared his meal with colby-cat lol. Regarding the post before this one, I thought I had replied? I probably thought I hit the reply button and x'd out of the page I've done it before without noticing. So, the new baby... I read that you are going to be fostering him depending on how well alvin does with him. I think it's great that you're opening your home to this little guy. Not many ferts get to see the world outside of a shelter and it's very saddening. Regarding meals, I completely understand the debate oh whether to feed him raw or kibble. For now while you're adjusting to having 2 ferts again you can try offering a soup but have kibble on hand for him should he refuse it. It's great to switch them over to raw for obvious reasons but the decision is yours. Also, keep in mind when you're feeding him kibble that Alvin doesn't get into it. We don't want upset tummies thrown into the mix either. I'm sure you know the entire introduction routine and when to separate. If not, feel free to ask me or the forum =) I'll keep checking throughout the weekend and feel free to PM me on facebook as well if you have any questions.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2015 22:57:37 GMT -5
In normal Alvin style he decided that slivers are yucky, must be held in order to eat, and food without baby food is absolute poison. He eats Stella's but that is very limited. He seems to have had a big trouble processing buffalo so his refusal started right after that. He still looks good, has probably gained some weight (he no longer fits on the plate he stood on while I weighed him). He has had a serving of heart and a half serving of liver (couldn't get him to eat much even with all his insistances). Sunday I kept giving him the same plate of food trying to show him he couldn't be stubborn for long. It was in the fridge between servings. I will chop up the quail tkmorrow. Ran out of time today.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2015 15:26:10 GMT -5
Sounds good so far! Keep me posted =)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2015 7:26:51 GMT -5
Alvin ate crushed bone! A little bit of rib, wing tip and tried very hard on the larger pieces from the neck all quail. I crushed them in to tiny pieces but he did work hard on the larger pieces. When he tried (swallowed or not) he was rewarded with a bit of baby food from the tip of the baby spoon I use to feed him. What a good boy!
What should I use to brush his teeth? His mouth stinks! His gums are getting better but I still need to brush. I had been using a q tip but I'm not sure if that is good enough now that most of the gum swelling is gone.
Also, does salmon oil go bad? How should it be stored? The pump bottle is sticky and it feels like sap kind of sticky. Making me wonder.....
Thanks!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2015 11:29:41 GMT -5
That's awesome that he ate crushed bonesss!! Is he still eating the bones?
That's an great idea, the positive reinforcement. Another treat that you can use is his favorite oil from a dropper bottle.
To brush his teeth, some people use gauze since it have a little bit of rigidness to it. Some buy a kitten/ cat toothbrush and use that with oxyfresh toothpaste (It comes highly recommended from multiple sources and fert owners.) You can always take him in and have a vet do a dental work up on him and check to see if maybe the smell is coming from a tooth? This is always an option but if money is available of course.
Oil does actually go rancid from being exposed to the air, temperature, exposure to sunlight, oxidation, etc. It all depends on how it's stored really. Try and store the oil in a dark room at room temperature (70-75 degrees c) if possible. Since it's in a pump bottle, it's exposed to the air so it's slowly oxidizing over time. Try to keep it clean after every use, like if some spills, wipe it up and what not. Now, ferts have a keen sense of smell so if it's rancid they'll either reject it or take a lick and reject it. Will they get sick from a few licks, probably not.
Hope that answers your questions. Sorry for the delay, I was asking and researching oils lol
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2015 12:54:32 GMT -5
Hi! Just poking in for an update. Also, I wanted to an update on his weekly meals. Just making sure he's getting all of his required nutrients =)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2015 10:50:05 GMT -5
Hi Jocelyn - Alvin is still doing great. He has a really icky looking tooth but the vets I have asked about it says his gingivitis is moderate but didn't mention anything about his teeth. I'm brushing still and I think that helps. Alvin was over at a friend's house last weekend and was on Stella's. He has had pork and quail with bone until his poos got really hard so I cut back on the bone for a couple of days. It's back to runny so more bone to come. I crushed the ribs and wing tips of two quails and have some of those still in the fridge from Monday. I'm not sure if those are still healthy to mix in with the rest of the slivers or not at this point. I also have eggshell powder to use but would like to move on to bone. More nutrients as I understand. Alvin needs his hearts and liver this weekend. I have beef that I can give him as well so that is protein #3. Thanks! Hope you're having a great weekend, and that your knee is feeling better. I have had a terrible time with one of my knees and ended up having 3 surgeries plus a nerve procedure to undo nerve damage from surgery #2. It's much better now after all of that so I'm pleased. I did have a pretty nasty crash on my bike on Father's day though so I had this nasty bruise and gashes on my thigh (same leg as my bum knee) BUT, nothing to my knee itself. So very lucky with that! My doctor said to expect a 2-3 month time to heal the damage to the quad but right now I only have a tight knot under my gash and I can finally wear pants over it again. I had to borrow skirts from my sister (and we never shared clothes before, even as kids!). Take care and I'll give another update soon. Oh yeah, may get that foster boy this weekend. The rescue emailed me asking me to call them today.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2015 12:32:32 GMT -5
That's weird. Maybe next time you're at the vet, mention the tooth so that the vet gives it a good look.
Now, when you're feeding bone-in, remember not to give eggshells with it. If you add in eggshell powder, he's getting a lot of calcium. So back off the powder when he is eating bone-in meals. Just remember to monitor his stools and adjust accordingly. Like if you fed him 3 bone-in meals without the eggshell powder, adjust how much eggshell powder you are giving until you start seeing normal looking stools. But then again, remember that organ poops get icky as well.
Sorry that I took a while to reply. It was hard for me to type while I had a brace on my hand while it was killing me. The knee is much better, thanks. Thing is I have two torn meniscus so I have to be cautious when I'm working out. Hope you're going a lot better after that fall =/ I can only imagine.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2015 8:23:46 GMT -5
I hope your wrist feels better! Alvin is doing great. He is going to get quail bones tonight but if he doesn't get the actual bone he gets eggshell. I gave him hearts for breakfast. He loved it pureed I need to have his teeth checked. I will try gauze now that most of his gums look better but he does have one spot that is still very red and sensitive.
He is having fun playing with the fostet. He is asserting his dominance a bit but he does ask to go to the basement to have play time with Argyle. I try to limit play time together so Alvin doesn't get stressed. It is a relief though that they can have play time together. Argyle is about 2 and he is the energizer bunny and I forgot how much energy and persistence youngsters have. I so want to try to feed him raw. His hind quarters look thin and I've seen how much improvement Alvin had with a proper diet. There's no way we can keep him (cat hates the new guy) and I don't want him to get on a good diet then have his new family take him back to kibble. It kills me though knowing I giving him junk food.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2015 23:27:35 GMT -5
Thanks, My wrist is feeling so much better. It left after 3 days then the other one started hurting. Ugh, I'm too young to have all this joint pain lol.
So, how is Mr. Alvin doing with bones? Is he still accepting crushed bones with the meat? Also, remember that if you're going to puree anything that his teeth need to be cleaned. I thought he was doing good on slivers of hearts? How are we progress-wise? Slivers, ground, bone, no bone? Let me know please. I want to see how far along we are. =)
Now with Argyle, I saw that he was having a great time with Alvin but now there is a potential new family and new older foster?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2015 17:58:16 GMT -5
Hi Jocelyn. Rebound with tendon issues can happen especially after removing braces.
Alvin ate crushed bone last week. I hacked up the ribs and back of a quail and a wing tip with the cleaver. Didn't spit too much out. His potty was firm all week. I know the bones provide necessary calcium too so if he is getting a small amount of bone and getting solid poo is that enough calcium or should I add a quail egg between bone in meals to help loosen so he can eat more bkne? He also ate 2 1/2 hearts. He needs liver still but he has gotten his good appetite back. Protein includes lamb, pork and quail. He has beef on occasion but did not tolerate buffalo. Is there another protein that I should try? Turkey is okay from Alvin's perspective but I really have to persuade him.
Alvin has a potential new brother. We got the new foster boy and we intend to adopt if they start playing well. Charlie is 4 and is a DEW very handsome boy. I really had to convince hubby this isn't a bad idea. I thought Alvin would be okay as a single ferret but he seems bored. And lonely. They met earlier today during the monthly ferret party and seemed mildly interested but there were a lot of distractions and other ferret smells. If we keep him I will start the transition after my work trip in a week and we will rename him Farley or Marley. I don't like renaming animals but the name Charlie is special to Hubby and reserved if we ever have a baby boy.
Both boys are sleeping in separate rooms now. Tired from playtime at the party. I will let them play together later this afternoon.
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