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Post by hiddenstars826 on Nov 16, 2017 12:35:16 GMT -5
Is he eating the soup consistently, and a good amount of it? If he's only eating a few licks here or there or you're having to force the soup, my STRONG recommendation would be to give him back whatever he was eating prior, so he has something that he will eat on his own consistently. I apologize if this has already been mentioned. But with insulinoma, you can't let them not eat anything. You can certainly continue progressing with switching him to raw, but he'll need something to eat in between especially if he's only eating a tiny amount a few times a day of the raw soup. It's not enough to sustain him, even if you're using pred. I'm sorry you're dealing with insulinoma. It's an awful thing. I just lost my boy to it a month ago, just 2 weeks shy to having fought it for 2 years. He was on a raw diet, as was my other girlie who'd had insulinoma. It CAN be done, but needs to go much much more carefully than if he had no medical complications. And, not sure if someone said it already...but please don't mix his pred into peanut butter! It's a)not appropriate for them as it's plant matter and b)a lot of sugar or the sugar free varieties use xylitol which will quickly kill your ferret if he gets any as it causes a rapid decline in blood sugar. Definitely start a switching thread and sign up for a mentor. You CAN get your boy switched over safely, it's just a little different than a healthy weasel
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Post by Gg on Nov 17, 2017 3:38:37 GMT -5
I hand feed them both every 2-3 hours with a syringe if I don't see them at the bowl themselves. I just gave them duck for the first time today and they wanted nothing to do with it until I gave them a couple of syringes. I usually just have to let it waterfall into the bowl and they're intrigued! Absolutely no peanut butter! all of these yummy ideas gave my gut a bad feeling so I'm starting to listen to it. I'm so very sorry to hear about your little one. It is an awful thing. I'm still utterly confused about switching while figuring out what makes him comfotable. I know lamb makes him feel better after the meds. I try to give him a big meal before and after the pred. He knows when it's time, too. I wake him and he runs around the corner and peeks at me. :/ The boys are gaining weight. My younger one, Appa, is gaining quicker than Momo but they both eat a ton in bfast and dinner and the in between are about a few licks and about an ounce in syringe feed. But they get this every 2-3 hours. If you have any suggestions, please drop them on me. I could really use the help. Oh and I started adding in bone so he's getting more nutrients!
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Post by Sherry on Nov 17, 2017 7:47:29 GMT -5
Good general rule of thumb- if it isn't meat based don't give it. As for before pred, all he really needs is a tbsp or so of food. That way he will hopefully keep up a good appetite for regular meals. For the little ones who aren't sick, just give them the regular meals and leave enough in between to last til the next meal. What are they all eating now?
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Post by hiddenstars826 on Nov 17, 2017 11:50:51 GMT -5
It IS an awful disease, but it teaches you to really pay attention to them deeper than you may have before, and it shows you how to enjoy the little moments and victories.
They're smart! Once they figure out there is a routine, they'll have it down fast! I always did meds first, then food. With my little girl, she was on a few different meds. I always gave in the same order, so I'd give her antibiotics last. She'd finish her other syringes and start looking for that one, and as soon as she realized that was done she'd immediately book it "down stairs" to where I'd put the food. Half of the time, I couldn't carry the food bowl and her billion syringes so I'd have to go get that and she'd be waiting. She'd only give me a few minutes, and if I didn't appear with her food she'd sulk back to bed and pretend to go back to sleep. But as soon as she heard me approach, she'd bolt back to her spot to eat and sit there waiting! Peter knew the routine too, but usually it meant he'd try to run and hide to avoid meds then appear when he thought his food was ready.
For my insulinoma girl, my first switch, I actually used only commercial raw because I couldn't prep my own at the time. I made it into a soupy texture and one day she scarfed it and never looked back. I kept her kibble available for a while (especially since her brother had not decided to catch on yet), and what I'd do was pull her kibble, feed her raw stuff, and a few hours later before bed I'd replace her kibble bowl so they had it overnight BUT when I did so, I gave her a bowl of her raw soup because I knew she'd choose that over the kibble. She'd fill up on that, then if needed go back to her kibble in another 4 or 5 hours or so. We were testing her BG regularly to see where she was sitting during this time, because I'd been adjusting her dose and her meds around the same time. One night, I totally messed up and fed her soup as normal (her brother had began eating it too at this point) but when I went to bed I totally forgot to replace her kibble bowl. I got up in the morning and realized it and freaked, but wouldn't you know who was bright-eyed and bushy tailed after about 8 hours from her last soup meal? I took her in for a BG since she was scheduled for one anyway, before giving her breakfast and morning meds. I can't remember the exact number, but her BG was in the mid 70's or low 80s. I was SHOCKED! I made a big effort to get her brother eating well on the raw stuff and he was switched over, and that was the end of the kibble for them. Realizing she could maintain that BG level without needing to eat all night was what convinced me to switch completely. She ate 4-5 times a day, especially closer to the end, and I'd always give her extra to eat. Even her Dr was surprised at how easily we were able to regulate her BG once the diet changed.
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Post by Gg on Nov 18, 2017 3:38:53 GMT -5
Hiddenstar826: What commercial raw did you give her if you don't mind me asking? That's amazing! I strive to get him to those numbers!! And they have such quirky little charasters. I love how smart they are but play it off to fool us! Gets me every time! In the beginning, their diet consisted of the a blend of meat and organs. I used this video as a guide: But then I started trying prepackaged raw by RadRaw catfood. They didn't like it so I went back to making it myself and have been trying the franken prey but only blended with chunks of whatever their meal was for that day.
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