|
|
Post by danidee on Oct 22, 2020 9:11:48 GMT -5
Hey, guys. I was just wondering if you all had any advice on how to fatten up an adrenal ferret? Every time I take Moose to the vet, he has lost some amount of weight. He currently weighs just a smidge more than 2.25lbs, but I can feel his spine, he looks gaunt, and now I’m starting to be able to feel his ribs without truly searching for them.
|
|
|
|
Post by danidee on Oct 22, 2020 9:26:52 GMT -5
He currently weighs just a smidge more than 2.25lbs... 2.5lbs* |
|
|
|
Post by Corvidophile on Oct 22, 2020 15:06:08 GMT -5
Is he free fed to whatever he feels like consuming? If so and you can’t just encourage him to eat more, you’ll have to add more fat to the diet. Try adding salmon oil to every meal, in small amounts first so it doesn’t start diarrhea. Give also fattier cuts of meat, like thighs and back ends. If he doesn’t want to eat try making it into a game, get some freeze dried foods and throw the chunks at him to pounce on, they often like freeze dried hearts and liver, and you can find those easily online as dog and cat treats.
|
|
|
|
Post by unclejoe on Oct 22, 2020 19:58:51 GMT -5
has he had a Suprelorin implant?
|
|
|
|
Post by danidee on Oct 22, 2020 21:54:28 GMT -5
Yes, he has had the implant for about a month now.
He is free fed but is still on ZuPreem grain-free kibble. I did buy some Young Again Zero kibble to try mixing in with the ZuPreem, but it hasn't arrived yet. He already gets salmon oil one every other day as a treat, but I had read somewhere that too much was bad for them and, like you said, could cause pretty serious diarrhea. I tried giving him some raw pieces of chicken gizzard today, even coated it in salmon oil, but he just has no interest in any new foods.
|
|
|
|
Post by Corvidophile on Oct 23, 2020 7:34:21 GMT -5
Hmm. How about egg yolk? Have you introduced that to him?
|
|
|
|
Post by danidee on Oct 23, 2020 14:30:21 GMT -5
Yes! He loves egg yolk. I was giving it to him once a week, but I had two vets tell me to cut it out because of the risk of salmonella and other bacterial nastiness. I still give it to him every now and then, though. 😬
|
|
|
|
Post by Charlie on Oct 25, 2020 20:42:47 GMT -5
People drink raw eggs all the time so giving him a raw egg once a week is fine.
|
|
|
|
Post by unclejoe on Oct 26, 2020 17:06:20 GMT -5
It's forum policy to encourage raw diets, but if you are stuck on kibble, you should stop the Zup grain free. a lot of ferrets are susceptible to certain kind of kidney/bladder stones (oxalate) and many grain free kibbles are full of oxalate rich ingredients, including peas, chick peas and sweet potatoes.
|
|
