Post by emmettandlouise on Jan 7, 2024 3:42:47 GMT -5
I am struggling to get my ferret to eat whole food again and use the litter level of his cage.
My 3 year old boy Emmett had surgery about 6 weeks ago to remove bladder stones. Surgery went well but the vet had him on clavamox antibiotics for 14 days so he had diarrhoea pretty badly for several weeks.
He lives with Eleanore, she’s 2, they free roam when me or my partner are home and go in a ferret nation cage when we’re at work. They have both been in this cage since I brought them home. Never went to the bathroom on any level except the very bottom (I use newspaper pellets and just cut a massive cement mixing tub to make that whole level a litter area).
They use puppy pee pads outside of the cage and rarely had accidents with only two pads in a 1000sq ft apartment.
Post surgery I fenced off a 4 foot by 5 foot area for Emmett that was warmed and covered in pee pads and towels. He wasn’t eating solid food (I feed kibble normally because I work 80 hours a week and don’t feel confident I can keep things food safe and my partner isn’t willing to take it on). I combine dr Elsa’s clean protein with SquarePet. After the surgery he didn’t want to eat anything except carnivore care (EmerAid). My vet suggested Duck Soup and I made that in my blender out of chicken and some beef fat and liver and water soaked kibble. Slowly with scruff n sample he started eating that but only when it’s warmed up with boiled water and quite soupy. He doesn’t even really drink water anymore unless I hand feed him or give it out of a “fancy” human glass.
My vet assured me that because of the wet food it’s normal and okay for him to not be drinking water.
I’ve tried to slowly add in whole kibble to the soup or make it less watery. Give water soaked kibble, coat the kibble in soup or egg yolk or carnivore care but he just takes it from my hand and puts it in a stash corner. Never eats it. Any ideas?
The litter problem-he just goes everywhere anywhere, middle of nowhere. On my rugs, on his bedding, by the food and water bowls, in the middle of the kitchen floor. Doesn’t bother to back up to a corner anymore. I’ve cleaned with vinegar and alcohol. I put him on the pee pads when I catch him. He’s actually getting better while free roaming. In the cage with the levels he just goes right next to where he’s sleeping. He’s even gone on his favourite cashmere sweater. Bedding that smells of him and was used by him for weeks. I am at my wits end. He’s been in “boot camp” for a week-he’s on one of the little half levels with a massive water bowl, food dish and a sweater to sleep in and he is going down the ramp to the big old litter level. But the moment I gave him the next level he pooped right on top of the sweater he’d been sleeping in all week. When I pick him up to put him in his litter level after the accident he really tenses up and digs his claws in and I can feel his heart go crazy. The only other time he tenses up when I pick him up is in the bathroom where he knows there’s a possibility of a rinse off.
Does he just need more time? Is this possibly because he’s still got something wrong with him? His stool is still smaller and quite loose because all he eats is soup…. The vet put him on Flagyl for the diarrhoea and he acted soo dramatic like he was dying every time I gave it to him (struggled and screamed) we only did 6 very unsuccessful doses before asking to switch to something he’d actually keep down (Tinidazole). We just finished the 14 days of that. He’s still not right so I’ll go back with a stool sample I guess. Our vet bill is almost at 5K and I’m just feeling defeated.
He was still kind of lethargic last week but this week has been bouncing around and playing like his normal self.
My 3 year old boy Emmett had surgery about 6 weeks ago to remove bladder stones. Surgery went well but the vet had him on clavamox antibiotics for 14 days so he had diarrhoea pretty badly for several weeks.
He lives with Eleanore, she’s 2, they free roam when me or my partner are home and go in a ferret nation cage when we’re at work. They have both been in this cage since I brought them home. Never went to the bathroom on any level except the very bottom (I use newspaper pellets and just cut a massive cement mixing tub to make that whole level a litter area).
They use puppy pee pads outside of the cage and rarely had accidents with only two pads in a 1000sq ft apartment.
Post surgery I fenced off a 4 foot by 5 foot area for Emmett that was warmed and covered in pee pads and towels. He wasn’t eating solid food (I feed kibble normally because I work 80 hours a week and don’t feel confident I can keep things food safe and my partner isn’t willing to take it on). I combine dr Elsa’s clean protein with SquarePet. After the surgery he didn’t want to eat anything except carnivore care (EmerAid). My vet suggested Duck Soup and I made that in my blender out of chicken and some beef fat and liver and water soaked kibble. Slowly with scruff n sample he started eating that but only when it’s warmed up with boiled water and quite soupy. He doesn’t even really drink water anymore unless I hand feed him or give it out of a “fancy” human glass.
My vet assured me that because of the wet food it’s normal and okay for him to not be drinking water.
I’ve tried to slowly add in whole kibble to the soup or make it less watery. Give water soaked kibble, coat the kibble in soup or egg yolk or carnivore care but he just takes it from my hand and puts it in a stash corner. Never eats it. Any ideas?
The litter problem-he just goes everywhere anywhere, middle of nowhere. On my rugs, on his bedding, by the food and water bowls, in the middle of the kitchen floor. Doesn’t bother to back up to a corner anymore. I’ve cleaned with vinegar and alcohol. I put him on the pee pads when I catch him. He’s actually getting better while free roaming. In the cage with the levels he just goes right next to where he’s sleeping. He’s even gone on his favourite cashmere sweater. Bedding that smells of him and was used by him for weeks. I am at my wits end. He’s been in “boot camp” for a week-he’s on one of the little half levels with a massive water bowl, food dish and a sweater to sleep in and he is going down the ramp to the big old litter level. But the moment I gave him the next level he pooped right on top of the sweater he’d been sleeping in all week. When I pick him up to put him in his litter level after the accident he really tenses up and digs his claws in and I can feel his heart go crazy. The only other time he tenses up when I pick him up is in the bathroom where he knows there’s a possibility of a rinse off.
Does he just need more time? Is this possibly because he’s still got something wrong with him? His stool is still smaller and quite loose because all he eats is soup…. The vet put him on Flagyl for the diarrhoea and he acted soo dramatic like he was dying every time I gave it to him (struggled and screamed) we only did 6 very unsuccessful doses before asking to switch to something he’d actually keep down (Tinidazole). We just finished the 14 days of that. He’s still not right so I’ll go back with a stool sample I guess. Our vet bill is almost at 5K and I’m just feeling defeated.
He was still kind of lethargic last week but this week has been bouncing around and playing like his normal self.
