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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2016 13:38:25 GMT -5
Jane actually slimmed down a little this week....but she had an unfortunate incident that involved getting the lid off of the coconut oil, so I feel like it was less of a natural kind of slim-down. I think Marley's been bouncing up and down for a while - she varies between 1lb 10 and 1lb 12 pretty regularly, so it's got to be something about the times I'm weighing her. She eats about 4oz daily, varies slightly between 3-6 but usually 4 is a good number. Not sure if you saw the pic the other day, but I finally got her to eat off the plate the others eat from - not much, but she did it. Myron started out pretty chunky and lost it, so maybe it's coming back? I actually don't know his intake per day - I just know he eats a ton. We put down a bowl for the "floor babies" (he, Marie, Jane, and Lola - who will actually eat from the bowl on the floor) with enough for all of them. I've seen him put down as much as 3oz at a time (which was meant for both him and Lola). I can start trying to monitor it, but he's also a food thief - he tends to run between the bowls if we put separate ones down.
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Post by Desiree on Mar 9, 2016 18:30:21 GMT -5
Thats a good amount for miss Marcy, that number will go down as she gets on full raw.
It's possible Myron is starting to put back on muscle after he lost the kibble fat.
As far as tracking, as long as no one is loosing weight then its okay to keep feeding as is. No need to change it up if it's working.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2016 19:23:55 GMT -5
Just wanted to do a quick update - we tried to get Sax on some chunks today and it did *not* go well. She ate it willingly enough, but I guess it didn't sit right, she ate too much, or she had some stuck because she ran around hacking for a few minutes and then started puking. Only a few chunks came up, but she was super upset and made noises I've never heard her make before. Very scary. She seems okay now, just a little tired and has a giant full belly. Ironically, it was this bizarre twist of events that led to me finding what looks like a tiny MCT starting on the back of her ear, so that's one more thing to keep an eye on with her. Marley's been doing okay, eating a little extra every now and then to combat her BG. It's been running low even with the pred, around the 40s-60s just like before. We could try putting her on diazoxide again, but it did absolutely nothing for her. She luckily hasn't had an extreme crash yet. I'm pretty worried about her, but the only thing we can really do with her symptoms is control what we can and help her feel better when we can't.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2016 19:25:21 GMT -5
Everyone else is doing pretty good - Jane might have slimmed down a bit more, but she really had a lot of jiggle for winter, so I'm not super concerned since she's still eating a lot. It does seem like all their appetites are a little lighter as it gets warmer.
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Post by Desiree on Mar 22, 2016 11:07:31 GMT -5
Sorry about the long delay in answering!
Alright, it does like Sax might have just eaten to fast. It can happen. Since she was eating it though, thats a great sign! Try it again but limit the amount the she has. Start with about half of what you fed her before.
Ah, Marley. I would call the vet and ask to be able to up her dose. I would also ask them about splitting the dose into three times a day. This seems to help them not dip as low. If the diazoxide didn't work before I wouldn't bother trying it again. It's a harsh drug.
Slimming down for spring summer is completely nomral, both appetites and weights are going to decrese. My 2.5 pound girl is not down just 2 pounds.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2016 9:55:42 GMT -5
No worries, it usually takes me a lot longer. Bad memory + tons of stress = forgetting to do almost everything. We got Sax started on some small chunks, but she's developed a wariness for them. Still working on it, but in the meantime, she's still piling down food. Everyone else (except Marley) has come to accept some chunkiness from their food. We have a vet appt for Marley this Friday to recheck her. I'm not confident more pred will help, but if she can stay on that another year like before (if the surg did a reset on her condition), I'll take it. I've heard of some ferrets who have much worse insu, so I'm somewhat grateful it's only bad once a month (and we can usually avert it if she's not hiding when it happens). I'm looking into some end-of-life care options, though...usually with mine, when it happens, it's sudden, so all my ducks have to be in a row. For now, she's got tons of pep, she's playing, and still loves cuddling. I've done a couple "water baths" this week to help with the shedding we're experiencing. Pickles used to be my biggest shedder, but Myron and Jane (this is my first winter with both of them) are really taking the cake. Jane looks like a completely different ferret coat-wise, and she feels like a rabbit. Myron is just shedding and shedding everywhere. No one else is really shedding much, though Marie started asking for belly scratches so she might be next. I picked up some new plastic containers for our organs - they leaked through their Ziplocs like crazy and got blood all over the fridge....looked like a horror movie. So hopefully no more leaks! I think that's about it for changes...I'll get a weight check-in up this week, if not today.
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Post by Desiree on Apr 3, 2016 23:15:03 GMT -5
Well wishes for Marley. Let me know how everything goes. Ask you vet about splitting the doses into three separate times and see if it helps her.
Shedding this time of year is horrid. Even my huskies are in full shed mode.
Plastic containers are a must for organ. Baggies just don't do the trick for the mushy stuff. Heck, I don't really like them for raw meat in general but they are a nice space saver.
I'll look for your update. I've been slacking a little too.
I'm glad we are getting closer to chunks, at least some chunkiness.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2016 18:08:14 GMT -5
Hi! It's been a busy month. I took a small-time freelance job for extra cash that really blew up and has me working 12+ hour days. :< Marley went to the vet - they updated her suspension (used to be 1mg, now 2mg), and it pushed her BG up immediately, so if it keeps on like that, we'll have at least a good while with this dose. We may split the doses (our vet said no, but our old vet said yes, so who knows), but she seems okay right now! Needs some tweaking - she's been mid-100s 4 hours after eating, so a little less may be better. We're seeing if they'll okay .15 instead of .2. She's on the carafate (no one offered it, so we're just using the old stuff for now since it's still good). She's been eating a little less since it got warmer, and is now about 1lb 9.5oz, but it's holding there and not dropping so the vet said to just keep an eye on her. She's not refusing food, but where she'd formerly suck down an ounce, she's now doing 3/4 of one. Everyone else is doing really well! Lola has chilled out immensely and is loving everybody, and Myron has gained more weight. No more leaks with the plastic!
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Post by Desiree on Apr 23, 2016 12:18:37 GMT -5
Is the 3/4 of an ounce at a meal or in a day? My smallest ferret barely touched an ounce a day and maintained her weight. She was at a pound and half as well.
What is everyone eating? Are we still on soups? How are we doing with the slivers?
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2016 20:48:59 GMT -5
She's eating 3/4 per meal, bounced back up to 1oz at times. BG has been good! Everyone is still on soup for the moment, but the chunks are a little bigger. We've been getting connective tissue lately, which doesn't break down very well, and they'll eat it without complaint if urged to. We took everyone to the vet today - Marie may have renal disease (she wasn't due until June, but her adrenal disease flared). Lots of vet reports. Myron also has an impacted scent gland, Jane has an MCT on her belly, and Sax has adrenal for sure. Very expensive. :< Side note: I just landed my new job, so will have a lot more free time to do things like not be radio silent for weeks. Sorry!!! About the only thing I've done right lately is ferret care!
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Post by Desiree on May 22, 2016 17:40:12 GMT -5
Oh man, that sounds expensive. Are they going to remove the MCT? Impacted scent glands are common unfortunately. Did you get the implant for Sax?
Keep working on those chunks. I saw your post of HFFB and yes, both eggshells and bonemeal powder lack the proper micro-nutrients that is needed for the ferrets. The faster they are on chunks, the better they will take to bone. They reimprint on soup, just like they do kibble, so keep pushing those chunks of meat.
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2016 21:26:52 GMT -5
Totally expensive. The MCT is staying for now - they said if it acts up, gets bigger, etc. we can do that, but for now since it hasn't changed at all and hasn't bothered her, it's okay to stay. They put Myron on antibiotics in case the scent gland is an infection, but we're on day 9 of 10 and it blew up a little again, so it looks like we may be doing a surg... I'm kind of at a loss as to how to actually get them to eat the chunks at all. I caught Jane pulling them out and piling them up next to the bowl last night. Sax won't touch them at all. Everyone else is pretty much the same. For Marley, since she's been on liquid food since she stopped eating on her own, what should I do about her calcium content? I know she's a bit older, but I assume she still needs to get some.
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Post by Desiree on May 27, 2016 23:40:50 GMT -5
Oh man, poor Myron. He's a marshalls ferret I assume? The early neuter/scent glad removal causes a lot of problems late in life.
So here is a way to make them eat. Make the meat really stringy, like spaghetti. Jane will try to remove it and it will drag and not be as easy. She may decide to eat it when it becomes a hassle. The longer you can make the meat the better.
As far as calcium content for Marley, can you ground any meat at home? I find quail (bone and all) go through the grinder fairly easily, as well as rabbit ribs and mice. If you can get it small enough, throw it in the blender and voila, calcium filled soup.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2016 16:27:10 GMT -5
Yep, all are Marshalls. How do you make the meat like that? We currently blend it all down in a Ninja - is this a process needing a grinder? I don't have one, but I can find one. Would a coffee grinder grind small bone bits? We bought a dedicated one for the eggshells. If not, I'll look around for a real grinder. Is it basically any bone we can get into little pieces? How fine should the pieces be?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2016 16:28:02 GMT -5
Someone suggested grinding a chicken wing per batch, I think, and that would help fill the calcium gap until they take the chunks - would that be enough?
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