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Post by sherik on Apr 14, 2011 0:18:16 GMT -5
Huck is doing awesome. Two days in a row eating all on his own free will. I did top him up for the night though, cause I am still not sure he is eating quite enough. I think I am going to try adding some ground chicken/bone to the others' soup tomorrow and see how they do with that. But I am not going to change what Huck is eating. He is doing so good.
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Post by Heather on Apr 14, 2011 14:21:00 GMT -5
That sounds like a really good idea. Yay, Huck, I knew you could do it ;D ;D Does Huck have access to everyone else's meal? or does he eat on his own? Sometimes, if the meals are similar, a ferret will be more willing and accepting to eat the others food. It's just a thought and it may or may not work. ciao
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Post by sherik on Apr 16, 2011 13:47:58 GMT -5
Yay!! Huck is still doing really well. What I have noticed motivates him is if I give him a little treat once a day. It seems to keep him happy and in return he eats his raw really well with no problems. I haven't had to spoon feed him. So awesome. Put the food down and he eats it. today I am going to pick up some chicken wings for everyone else and see how they do. Plus I am going to check out another pet food store that recently started selling raw pet food. I will see what they have and maybe try some. I heard on the radio that they had chicken, venison, and some others I can't remember. But we'll see if it is suitable for ferrets when I drive up there. I can't get over how little everyone is eating. But their weights are all pretty much the same. Indy, my big boy over 3.5lbs doesn't seem to really eat too much. Obviously he is getting enough cause his weight hasn't even fluctuated a little bit. I also took one dose of pred away from Zoey, she only is getting once a day. I noticed when she has it twice she doesn't do anything, but when she gets it mid day she plays and runs around. She has a huge tumor growing inside her. I can feel it. The vet feels it is her adrenal gland or her spleen might just be so big it is folded. With her age, I am not going to do surgery, even though I want to. I don't think she'd survive. Maybe with her des implant it will shrink down. She is still eating really well so I don't think it is bothering her
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Post by Heather on Apr 16, 2011 15:00:42 GMT -5
I'm so glad that you've found Huck's inner reasons. That is so great. I don't like doing surgery unless I absolutely have to. I've been doing way too many lately It looks like the Minion is going to have to have surgery to put his bowel back in place. Considering, I'm afraid of some of the underlying health issues that I can't see, I'm more than a little concerned about putting a baby ferret under anesthetic ciao
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Post by sherik on Apr 18, 2011 21:50:18 GMT -5
So.... I had to do something and I had to do it now. Huck is down to 2lb6oz... that is too much weight loss for my liking. He was eating so well.... then just nope.... not having any of it, or wasn't eating as much as I thought he was. So I had to give in and give him kibbles. I ran out to the pet store yesterday and picked up some EVO ferret food. Although not enthusiastic about EVO he is eating it. My ferrets never did like EVO. I am going to keep working with him, but obviously I have to go really slow. As for everyone else. They are all doing well. They didn't go for the chicken wings though. But I will keep trying one a day, until maybe. LOL. I have yet to try the new commercial ground I picked up on saturday. I found venison and chicken.
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Post by Heather on Apr 18, 2011 22:01:08 GMT -5
I found myself doing the same thing with Yuri so don't kick yourself. Don't stop though. I think I had 2 or 3 setbacks with Yuri. He's not a good eater, never eats the amounts that he should. I don't know what the starting pounds that Huck was when he started the switch but it sounds like the loss was substancial. Go back to feeding some kibble but start pushing the raw (gently ;D again). Yuri is still eating raw, but we had a setback He suddenly stopped eating and was being force fed by syringe. Rushed him to the vet, diagnosed with an ulcer, and probably adrenal Must be right on the ulcer as he's now back to eating his raw soupy. He got the last Des implant that I had bought a few months ago, so we will see what that outcome is. Unfortunately, ulcers go hand in hand with adrenal. Hopefully, things will go back once his body gets regulated again. ciao
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Post by sherik on Apr 20, 2011 22:00:17 GMT -5
I've been thinking long and hard about this. But I need to take a break from the raw feeding. Zoey is ill and I have put her back on her cooked soup and Huck is too thin and he is now being supplemented with cooked soup too. I don't plan on stopping the raw feeding, just backing off a bit. I have to go to school for a month really soon and can't take them with me and with them not eating whole foods yet it is too hard. I have no one that will take the time to feed them their raw soup. And my partner owns own business and works 16 hour days most of the time. Plus with Huck and Zoey it just will not work right now. So I put them all on EVO and Wysong for now. When I get back from school I plan on trying again. Thank you for all your help. Also if this thread gets locked, can it be reopened when I resume trying to switch everyone?
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Post by Heather on Apr 20, 2011 22:19:27 GMT -5
I"m sorry that you've decided to shelve this but understand entirely. Sometimes, what one has on one's plate is too much and dealing with the raw feeding switch is just too much. You've got a foundation about what you need and where you need to go. I will put your thread away, but it will be there for you to read if you need references or if you want to start up again. I wish you luck in your upcoming schooling and hope that you do start up again when your life slows down again. I hope that Zoey gets better soon and that Huck puts more weight on. Good luck, don't be a stranger the forum is still open for you to use whether you raw feed or not ciao
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Post by sherik on Apr 24, 2011 23:57:06 GMT -5
So here is the thing. They have kibble in their cage and they all prefer the raw soup. EVEN Huck. I chunked it up tonight and he still ate it. He is putting his weight back on. So I don't know what to think. Just keep going with it I guess. Maybe he just needed the choice to be his own. Oh there was even little pieces of bone in it. Zoey is not going to get better. But she would rather eat the raw soup. I am giving her whatever she wants. If she wants a piece of dog food she get a piece of dog food. Her tumor in a matter of 3 days has tripled in size and pushing against her rib cage. I am just keeping her comfortable until she totally refuses food or seems to be in pain.
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Post by Heather on Apr 25, 2011 2:04:13 GMT -5
Poor wee Zoe. A healing candle is lit, I hope that she remains comfortable and you don't have to make that decision anytime soon. Looks like your guys have made the decision for you, even Huck. Sometimes it takes something like this to make you realize that the switch has already happened whether you're aware of it or not. I won't close your thread then, and we will just fly with it for now ciao
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Post by sherik on Apr 25, 2011 22:06:21 GMT -5
I really don't get it.... Huck is just my special little guy. He is walking up to the plate of raw all on his own and eating all on his own. Amazing. I am not removing the kibble from the cage though. It doesn't look like anyone is eating it anyway. But I am leaving it there cause for whatever reason with it there, it is getting Huck to eat. I even made it extra chunky today. It is basically ground with a little water in it now and we have some small bone pieces and cartlidge and chunks of skin. Then tomorrow I am going to add even less water. He is going to get there, and I am praying before I go to school.
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Post by Heather on Apr 25, 2011 23:41:35 GMT -5
That is great, he's done so much progress. I hope he really does move it for you. Leave him the kibble...maybe he needs to be reminded there is things that are worse than raw ;D ;D ;D ciao
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Post by sherik on Apr 27, 2011 22:55:37 GMT -5
It seems he does need to be reminded that there are worse things than raw. I put the plate of raw in the cage this morning, and he was like.... "nah"..... so I offered him some kibble. About 15 minutes later, he was pigging out on the raw. I think he is almost back to his normal weight too. Yay!! He sure is playing alot more.... 1.5 hours strait so far tonight. Usually 30min/45min. I can't really do too much with them right now... I am sick and don't want them to get sick. Especially Zoey, although I have to spoon feed her still. She's feeling better though, running around today pretty well. She will usually handle about 3-4teaspoons of soup at a time. I usually give her a break and then give her 2 more teaspoons with her pred. She just has no desire to eat on her own. I was just hoping she had the flu, she's going to the vet soon.
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Post by Heather on Apr 27, 2011 23:07:36 GMT -5
That's great that Huck is doing so well. I've got a little one who has decided the only way to eat is to be fed. Yuri was sick (ulcer and possible adrenal) and has never been a good eater....now he figures that I will hand feed him. I'm not too sure what the answer is with these little ones. Pooka got that way in the later stages of her adrenal. I honestly think that if we didn't intercede that these little ones would just fade away. They don't seem to have any desire to eat on their own ciao
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Post by sherik on May 3, 2011 22:05:29 GMT -5
Well we're at a stand still again. Huck is still eating his soup well. I have it pretty thick now, with lots of chunks of little bones and skin and such. He pretty much just eats all around it. Which is still pretty good for Huck, cause he would normally back away with thick and chunky soup. He is up to 2lb7oz. So he has put an ounce back on. I still have the kibbles in the cage, but it still never really seems to go down. Maybe one or two here and there, but in no way enough to sustain a ferret for even a day. Lily is taking Zoeys passing very hard and I have to watch to make sure she eats. And I spend a little more time with her. They were best friends. The only ferret Lily ever, ever, cuddled with out of the cage was Zoey. Everyday the plates of raw is cleaned off. Once Huck has started to eat some of the bigger stuff I will move on to some bigger bone in pieces. I am not coddling him at all anymore. He has the choice. It gets put in the cage and if he eats, he eats, if not, he has kibble. But he must be eating, cause it has been a few weeks and he still plays and runs around like normal, he is also not skin and bones. Still a bit thin for my liking, but he's getting there.
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