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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 17:47:29 GMT -5
I normally feed my boys Go! Fit+Free but ran out less than a week ago and as a temporary food I got some Orijen cat food(as I was told it was one of the top kibbles for ferrets) and about a day later my one boy started hacking/coughing away. He's been coughing, sneezing, his eyes are little puffy, and lethargic since then. We thought well they're shedding so maybe a hairball. So we started to treat him for hairballs. It hasn't worked. He's eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom like normal(I have yet to see any abnormal stool). Now one of the other boys is starting to show the same symptoms too. We(myself and my partner who is a medical assistant) checked both of their lungs and they're clear. We checked for abdominal pain and there was nothing. Our third boy, who hasn't eaten ANY of the food, is perfectly fine. I thought maybe it might be an allergic reaction to something. So I went back to their normal food, I rewashed all of their bedding(with free and clear detergent, no fabric softener, and I ran it again with just water), I cleaned the entire house(with no cleaners or chemicals, I just wanted to make sure there was no dust or mold in the house), and I don't use litter(we don't cage our boys so we use puppy pads). They were all perfectly healthy until the two started to eat the Orijen. I don't know what's going on and I'm kind of freaking out. We haven't had any health issues with any of our boys. Someone suggested a cold/flu but they don't seem to have all of the symptoms. One of our boys seems to be feeling a little bit better today. He's being a bit more energetic and up to his usual shenanigans but he's still sneezing and sleeping a little more than usual. Also if it's okay, I am adding a link to a little video I took of the two boys making noises. You can't really see much but I really just wanted you all to be able to hear the sounds. The squeak at the beginning of the video is a door opening and not the ferrets. vimeo.com/172978703/description
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 19:07:02 GMT -5
The ingredients in Orijen are better than the Go brand. Was the meat protien in Go the same as the one in Orijen? I'm a raw feeder now, but when I used to feed Orijen I had to buy either the regional red or six fish one, because my guy was allergic to chicken and turkey. His skin would get really red and irritated on the chicken based Orijen.
You said you have free range ferrets. Is there a chance they might have gotten into something that caused an allergy?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 19:21:34 GMT -5
I just double checked the ingredients of both. They're almost the same. But Orijen has more herbs and the main protein differences are; chicken liver, whole herring, turkey liver whole eggs, boneless walleye, whole salmon, chicken heart, chicken cartilage, herring meal, chicken liver oil.
Go!Fit+Free Protein differences:duck meal, de-boned trout, de-boned salmon, de-boned duck, salmon oil
I know a raw diet is better for ferrets but I'm wondering if it's the organs and cartilage that's affecting them...or maybe the flowers in it? I know whenever I fed them my allergies would flare up.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 19:32:51 GMT -5
How old are your ferrets? Is there a reason you haven't switched to raw? If they're having allergies it could be diet related, switching to freeze dried raw or right could help them.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 19:50:32 GMT -5
Sitka is turning 2 in november. Toki and Turbo are both adopted from the ferret rescue one is turning 4 and the other is about to be 5 years old. if we don't give them kibble they like to starve themselves. Turbo was sick when we got him, not even 1 lb and we had to use pedialyte to get him to eat and be healthy again. Eventually he did start to eat the better kibble(the rescue was using Marshalls and some garbage kibble from walmart). We have tried several times to get them to eat raw meat but the most raw we can get them to eat is water, eggs once lol
The orjen has a ton of different flowers/herbs and such and flax seed that the go fit doesnt have. My partner had found that flax was a known allergen and he thought it could be that.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 19:55:48 GMT -5
Usually you have to start with a raw soup mix and work your way up to bigger pieces of meat. It takes work but well worth it. Have you tried stella and chewys freeze dried raw? It's better than even the 'best' kibble out there and without the unnecessary 'junk' in there. I think it would be worth trying.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 20:09:21 GMT -5
I have not tried either of those but I'll have to look into giving them a shot. Honestly, I'm willing to try anything to get them feeling better. What kind would you recommend?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 20:15:44 GMT -5
My friend was feeding her ferrets Orijen but with all the worries about insulinoma and bladder and urinary tract problems because of grains and carbs and fillers in pet foods, she switched to Stella and Chewys and saw a big difference. Some didn't take to it right away so she had to put the kibble in a clean coffee grinder and sprinkle it on the Stella and chewys to trick them into eating it.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 20:17:25 GMT -5
Stella and Chewys has a good variety of freeze dried raw. My friend buys the chicken, turkey, and fish ones and mixes them together for variety.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 20:41:10 GMT -5
Well it's definitely worth a shot. I'm just hoping that it's an actual food allergy. I changed their food back to their usual stuff yesterday morning so I think it's still too early to tell
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 20:57:19 GMT -5
Allergies are no fun. I hope they get better soon.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 21:04:21 GMT -5
Thank you, so do I
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