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Post by pazupazu1 on May 27, 2019 12:18:29 GMT -5
I was posting about this in my other thread but really hoping to get some more urgent advice on here... I’m so worried about my ferret.
She is 6 months old and I rescued her with her brother. Her brother has had no issues on raw so far, he did hack up a bit after eating some bone but not since then. My poor Momo though is having issues.
She vomits after eating red meat. Whether it be ground meat or just an organ. Although the other day I fed a bit of venison liver and she was just fine!
Like today it was mostly ground turkey with venison liver blended in and she had her worst vomit episode yet, she did eat maybe 2-3 tablespoons of soup.. She was on and off vomiting for 25 minutes. She kept going pee as well, and it was slightly mucousy, her bum area is yellowing due to all the potty she’s doing right now...She kept vomiting the soup she ate.
It is just awful seeing her in pain. She squints her eyes, and lays down so weakly to vomit. I’ve been feeding raw since December, never had problems like this with my older boys or even the new boy I just adopted. Honestly, it’s been enough to make me doubt my capabilities of feeding raw. Seeing her this way is scary and makes me feel like an awful parent.
I’d drive her to the vet but they’re closed today. I’m working the next two days all day, I don’t know what to do.
Edit: I should add she has been completely normal and happy otherwise and before eating the meat. Her potty has been fine, she’s very lively, sleeps well etc.
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Post by abbeytheferret6 on May 28, 2019 7:01:45 GMT -5
How is your little one is doing today? (I had one throw up after eating rabbit organs. I will not offer it to him again) Do not mix the meats and see what she can eat--- just venison by itself for example. Instead of beef, you can use lamb. It is expensive though. I get lamb chops and cut it up in small bits for my boy. He doesn't want chunks. When I can get lamb kidney and liver at my farmers market---I will make soupies and freeze them---- 8 ounces of lamb, 1 ounce of kidney, 1 ounce of liver and 1/2-3/4 teaspoon of eggshell. Hare Today has lamb organs. I buy my turkey as drumsticks and sometimes the thigh(easy to cut off chunks with scissors). However, my boy doesn't do well with turkey, chicken or pork (lately). I do not use ground meat from store for ferrets( I worry about sanitation and how processed). With mine, the best luck with no stool problems are guinea pig, mice, and chicks and lamb. I have two that can eat poultry without problems. I buy that which is natural--but you never know if they have sneaked solutions in pork ---even when it doesn't say added . I don't buy duck if it has solutions---they are hard to find without it. Sometimes I wonder if this is what causes some of the problems with ferrets?  |
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Post by pazupazu1 on May 28, 2019 10:45:07 GMT -5
How is your little one is doing today? (I had one throw up after eating rabbit organs. I will not offer it to him again) Do not mix the meats and see what she can eat--- just venison by itself for example. Instead of beef, you can use lamb. It is expensive though. I get lamb chops and cut it up in small bits for my boy. He doesn't want chunks. When I can get lamb kidney and liver at my farmers market---I will make soupies and freeze them---- 8 ounces of lamb, 1 ounce of kidney, 1 ounce of liver and 1/2-3/4 teaspoon of eggshell. Hare Today has lamb organs. I buy my turkey as drumsticks and sometimes the thigh(easy to cut off chunks with scissors). However, my boy doesn't do well with turkey, chicken or pork (lately). I do not use ground meat from store for ferrets( I worry about sanitation and how processed). With mine, the best luck with no stool problems are guinea pig, mice, and chicks and lamb. I have two that can eat poultry without problems. I buy that which is natural--but you never know if they have sneaked solutions in pork ---even when it doesn't say added . I don't buy duck if it has solutions---they are hard to find without it. Sometimes I wonder if this is what causes some of the problems with ferrets? Thank you for the reply! After her episode, I checked her gums, they were a healthy pink color, and did the "skin pinch" test to see if she was dehydrated after all the vomiting. It bounced right back and she then went to drink water from her dish. She also stopped urinating everywhere.
I made a soup out of the Instinct Raw Bites she likes so much after she slept for a few hours. She was happy to eat it. Then, she went over to the older boy's bowl of chopped chicken pieces with bone and ate a bit. I watched her carefully and she hacked up a bit but only a little and that's pretty normal with the bone meals, I've found. If they don't know how to correctly chew up the bones yet.
She's been very normal since then, and ate some ground duck from Hare Today. No issues so far. I'm at work all day today but I will be giving more chopped chicken pieces tonight to keep things easy on her. I don't know when I will feel comfortable feeding more red meat. Although, I was googling around and I guess duck neck can be considered red meat, which she does fine with. Does she need more red meat than that?
I can get chicken liver at the store, but the "other organ" will be hard to find from a non poultry source. I will try the lamb, although my older boy's don't do well with it, and it makes them slightly constipated.
What are "solutions"? I'm a vegetarian, and very unfamiliar with these terms, lol!
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Post by Heather on May 28, 2019 17:19:40 GMT -5
For the moment, I would be very tempted to avoid beef (is this the major issue)?....I'm not sure what you're referring to as "red" meats. Rabbit is considered red as is venison, so instead of identifying by colour, lets identify the actual protein first. Are you using the HF menu for your little ones? holisticferretforum.com/natural-diet/raw-diet-the-meat-of-the-site/basic-frankenprey-menu/I would also suggest using a log, identify the protein, what happens on what day. Is it vomit? Is it just coughing up a few pieces that were eaten too quickly When was the last time this wee one has been to the vet? ciao |
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Post by pazupazu1 on May 29, 2019 8:37:13 GMT -5
For the moment, I would be very tempted to avoid beef (is this the major issue)?....I'm not sure what you're referring to as "red" meats. Rabbit is considered red as is venison, so instead of identifying by colour, lets identify the actual protein first. Are you using the HF menu for your little ones? holisticferretforum.com/natural-diet/raw-diet-the-meat-of-the-site/basic-frankenprey-menu/I would also suggest using a log, identify the protein, what happens on what day. Is it vomit? Is it just coughing up a few pieces that were eaten too quickly When was the last time this wee one has been to the vet? ciao Yes she only vomits after eating meat from a mammal. She eats poultry just fine and eats bone too. Yes, I do follow that menu. She is perfectly happy and healthy otherwise! She can eat chicken, turkey and duck fine.
The menu states I need to feed at least one red meat protein per week, she has vomited after venison, beef, and veal so far. I know rabbit is considered red, but the rabbit I get is usually white, so I figured I might try it. The duck I feed is usually necks, which are dark in color as well.
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Post by Heather on May 29, 2019 18:01:39 GMT -5
I had a wee ferret, Meeteef, who could not eat anything with hooves. Rabbit, quail, chicken, duck...all fine. Feed beef (the worst), pork, venison and within minutes of eating he would start projectile vomiting. It would take a fair bit to get him to settle (would use a bit of RR on his feet and rubbed on his ears). I'm curious have you tried mice or rats?
ciao
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Post by pazupazu1 on May 29, 2019 21:49:22 GMT -5
I had a wee ferret, Meeteef, who could not eat anything with hooves. Rabbit, quail, chicken, duck...all fine. Feed beef (the worst), pork, venison and within minutes of eating he would start projectile vomiting. It would take a fair bit to get him to settle (would use a bit of RR on his feet and rubbed on his ears). I'm curious have you tried mice or rats? ciao Wow, that sounds JUST like my Momo. Completely projectile vomiting right after eating beef, venison and veal (those are all the ones I tried) running around absolutely frantic. I had no idea how to help...could you tell me about RR? Sounds like it could be useful if she has another "episode" He was fine eating rabbit, though? I was so nervous having her try some tonight, she turned her nose up to it. What proteins did you end up feeding him after that? I keep hearing about mice and rats. I will absolutely be trying this next time. I actually need to put in another order for hearts next week, I may slip an order of mice in. Do they take to them easy? Thanks so much. |
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Post by Heather on May 30, 2019 10:37:35 GMT -5
Meeteef could eat rabbit, no problems..paws...not hooves. I used to laugh at that. At the time I had 2 "pets" with the exact same issue. A wee siamese kitty, Samurai and Meeteef. I'd already dealt with the kitty so when Meeteef started showing the exact symptoms, it was a clue. Meeteef had a lot of issues, chronic ulcers, adrenal (wish we had the DES back then...he might have had a more comfortable time of it). Meeteef never took to prey, if it had fur he wouldn't eat it. The reason why I suggested it is mice and rats are red meat. Switching to prey, can be done a couple of different ways....offer it, some just take to it after playing with it. Put it on the string and see if the prey drive kicks in and again after ripping and tearing at it they actually eat it. Cut it open remove the stomach and intestines and show them that there is meat in the little fur packages or as a last resort, toss them in the blender (gut first) and offer them as a soupy, if that's a no go then you mix with another protein that is accepted. Some people can't feed food with faces so I get it.
RR (Rescue Remedy)....I keep a bottle in the house at all times. It works wonderfully for stress times. Can be something as simple as a change in routine (guests) to major things like intros of new ferrets or change of home
ciao
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