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Post by kpaz on May 8, 2012 11:05:43 GMT -5
I spoonfed goomba this morning and he ate some of the small turkey chunks in his soup.He even stashed a piece
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Post by kpaz on May 9, 2012 0:51:19 GMT -5
He ate small chunks in his soup on his own this evening. I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that I'm depressed. Sorry, I feel like my enthusiasm has plummeted. Hopefully when Daniel moves back home for the summer he will be able to help me with finishing the switch this summer.
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Post by katt on May 9, 2012 4:19:17 GMT -5
Yaaay Goomba! Good boy! And I'm sorry to hear that. *hugs* Let me know if there is any way that I can help. You've been through a LOT in the past few months, I can't say anyone could blame you for feeling so down! Just look at how far you have come though. You have completely switched 2 ferrets onto a raw diet. One ferret who has been very ill is recovering nicely (*knock on wood*) and is beginning to make forward progress again. While school may have been tough as h*ll, and you may not have done quite as well this semester as you may have without everything going on, you still managed to stick with it! That is WAY more than other people can say. Do you know how many people would have either left their ferrets to be sick rather than deal with their problems, or dropped out of classes entirely? You should be proud of yourself. I know I am proud of you! We are all here to support you however you need. And I hope that you know you can always text or PM me if you need to talk. About anything. Even if it's just to vent about something entirely unrelated. Sometimes it just helps to get it off of your chest. If it makes you feel any better I had a super rough time my first year of college. I had some pretty serious family stuff happen (cousin almost died in a sports accident and had to have intense facial reconstruction, grandmother got breast cancer, cousin's baby having seizures). I was working full time, and taking a very heavy full time class load. I ended up with Mono for 9 months, had some personal issues (ugh boyfriend drama, glad those days are over!), and a ton of other stuff going on. I was pretty depressed, had to drop one of my classes because despite studying hours a night I was still failing (something completely new to me, I breezed through high school), and I still almost didn't pass one of my classes because by then I was so far behind from neglecting my other classes for calc that I couldn't catch up. That was one of the two worst years in my life (other was the year I lived in New York lol I hated it there). It was awful and it took a while to come back from not only academically, but emotionally. But I did it. It sucked, but I kept fighting and it got better little by little. Was it tough? Heck yes. Was I depressed? Absolutely. Did I lose all of my motivation? You bet! But I forced myself to keep putting one step in front of the other. I learned to prioritize my time, to chose my friends more carefully, and to reach out for help when I needed it despite what my pride said. Tough times happen. All you can do is keep your chin up and your feet moving. You are STRONG. You can and WILL get through this bump on the road. You are an amazing ferrent and I am thankful that your boys are in your hands and not in a home somewhere else where their problems would not even be addressed. In any other home they might both be dead by now! You are incredible. They will thank you in their own way. Hold them tight when you feel down, and don't forget to take time to just enjoy. Forget about feeding and meds for a minute and just hold a fuzz-butt up close and bury your face in their fur, sniff their sweet smell and kiss their little noses. Don't forget to take time for yourself! When does your internship start again? After your final this week and until it begins, just RELAX. Take time to do things for yourself. *hugs*
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Post by katt on May 9, 2012 4:24:35 GMT -5
I want to help you save some time now that Ellie and Pippin are doing well on raw. When you get a chance (no rush) write up what you feed in a week. Estimate if needed. We'll see where they are and adjust where needed. Then you can do what I do. It's amazingly time-saving. Get whatever food you need for a balanced meal all at once (I buy a few months' worth at a time, but get what you know they will eat that will fit in the freezer). Then chop and divide all of the meat into sandwich sized ziplock baggies. Then put the bags in the freezer. Voila! You can take each bag out the day before to thaw, and there you have a meal! It's nice to feed them frozen sometimes as well. It's good mental stimulation to have meals presented in different ways. If I'm going to be gone for a long day, or even overnight, I can feed a bag of thawed food, and a bag of frozen. The frozen one will stay fresh as it thaws and the thawed one will give them immediate food. Obviously with Goomba you can only do so much to pre-prepare, but hopefully this will help with the other two.
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Post by katt on May 9, 2012 4:25:34 GMT -5
Right now though focus on your last test.
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Post by kpaz on May 10, 2012 19:07:06 GMT -5
Thank you for sharing This has by far the worst I've ever done, but I passed with a 3.1 gpa (somehow). I can't wait to SLEEP tonight, and I haven't seen Daniel in weeks and he had his last final today as well so he'll be coming home ^____^ In one week, Pippin and Ellie get 8-16 oz of meat (pork and beef) with the balanced heart (chicken) and liver (beef or pork) mixed in and 3-4 chicken wings. However Ellie finally has her super short summer coat on and in the past week they've cut their intake noticeably so. I think it must just be the heat. They also sneak some of Goomba's soup, and Ellie will eat the chunks. Goomba is also eating small chunks on his own. The larger turkey chunks he'll chew on for a few seconds and then drop them to the side of the bowl. Pippin is going back to the vet tomorrow to get pred. I was reading another thread and from what I understand I should be asking for pedia pred? He is eating so well. And drinking lots of water. And he finally learned what I taught the other two as kits: if he want to be picked up he'll put his paws on my hands. He also doesn't mind me holding him, and has been playing a lot. I'm sorry that you're going through crap at work I feel like in a lot of ways we're similar; we always treat people with courtesy and respect, so when people are nasty it's extremely hurtful. Especially when you've given them no reason at all to act that way toward you. Getting picked on growing up was h*ll for me, I was really shy and I'd sit in the library and read instead of going to recess because the kids were so mean. I got pushed out of the back of a bus during fire-drills and down the bleachers just because, popped by rubber bands (now I have this stupid phobia of them ), and called all kinds of names. Kids can be incredibly mean. The sad thing is that you'd think that people would realize by this age that having some compassion makes everyone's lives a whole lot easier to live and enjoy. Try not to let these people get to you, even though I'm sure we both know that can be a really difficult thing to do.
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Post by katt on May 11, 2012 4:27:16 GMT -5
Thank you for sharing This has by far the worst I've ever done, but I passed with a 3.1 gpa (somehow). I can't wait to SLEEP tonight, and I haven't seen Daniel in weeks and he had his last final today as well so he'll be coming home ^____^Yay! That's a B average GPA, not bad really and certainly something that you can come back from. How did your final today go? Don't beat yourself up over it. Some people struggle for that even without what you have been going through. And Yaay to Daniel coming home. Being apart sucks big time and makes everything harder! In one week, Pippin and Ellie get 8-16 oz of meat (pork and beef) with the balanced heart (chicken) and liver (beef or pork) mixed in and 3-4 chicken wings. However Ellie finally has her super short summer coat on and in the past week they've cut their intake noticeably so. I think it must just be the heat.Can you give me a breakdown of a week in meals? ie Monday they get turkey chunks and chicken wings, Tuesday they get beef and chicken hearts, etc or do you have it all mishmashed together? (I used to feed Koda that way, nothing wrong with it but it does make it harder to ensure everyone is getting enough balance when you have multiple ferrets). I do need a better idea of what they are getting though. What does the balanced heart and liver mean? How many ounces of heart and liver are in the 8=16 oz of meat? They also sneak some of Goomba's soup, and Ellie will eat the chunks. Goomba is also eating small chunks on his own. The larger turkey chunks he'll chew on for a few seconds and then drop them to the side of the bowl. Good boy Goomba! That's a good step considering how much it took to get him back into soupie mode after being sick. Keep working on him and keep me posted on his progress. He is eating heart and liver in the soup correct, or mostly plain turkey? Pippin is going back to the vet tomorrow to get pred. I was reading another thread and from what I understand I should be asking for pedia pred? He is eating so well. And drinking lots of water. And he finally learned what I taught the other two as kits: if he want to be picked up he'll put his paws on my hands. He also doesn't mind me holding him, and has been playing a lot. That's good. It sounds like he is feeling okay. As for the meds, I'm really not sure I'm sorry. :/ I think Pedia Pred MIGHT be the same thing as prednisolone, which is supposed to be easier on the liver or something? I'm really not sure. I'm sorry that you're going through crap at work I feel like in a lot of ways we're similar; we always treat people with courtesy and respect, so when people are nasty it's extremely hurtful. Especially when you've given them no reason at all to act that way toward you. Getting picked on growing up was h*ll for me, I was really shy and I'd sit in the library and read instead of going to recess because the kids were so mean. I got pushed out of the back of a bus during fire-drills and down the bleachers just because, popped by rubber bands (now I have this stupid phobia of them [img src="http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h352/JW_2012/Emoticons/.png"].png[/IMG] ), and called all kinds of names. Kids can be incredibly mean. The sad thing is that you'd think that people would realize by this age that having some compassion makes everyone's lives a whole lot easier to live and enjoy. Try not to let these people get to you, even though I'm sure we both know that can be a really difficult thing to do. [/b] Thanks. *hugs* It really sucks right now. The manager is doing her best to get to the root of things, but nothing is going to make them like me. They've made up their minds about me. I have a hard time just brushing things off. I'm still searching for something else job-wise. I *might* have an interview next week for a dental office that sounds promising. The problem is I keep getting my hopes up for these opportunities, and they don't pull through. It's a bit disheartening to be honest. Plus med school applications just reopened so I have THAT facing me, and ugh. It's just a mess. The stuff at work I just don't know how to deal with. It cuts to the base of my insecurities. I think we were a LOT alike as kids (and still are lol). I stayed in from recess to read books. I wasn't pushed around physically too much but I went through a lot of verbal abuse. Kids are cruel. I don't know why people apparently don't grow out of it. I want a job with people who are NOT close to my age so that hopefully there will be less cattiness. Hopefully this dental thing pans out. :S We'll see. Thanks for the support btw, it means a lot. I really need an emotional support base right now so it's appreciated. I love this place. There's a lot of people here that I consider good friends, even if we've never met in person. You included of course!
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Post by kpaz on May 13, 2012 19:34:00 GMT -5
Ok, sorry it's taken me so long. Today was my first day of work, and I bet I will not be able to move in the morning I put 2oz of liver for 8oz of meat and 2-3 hearts, same as the soup proportions, just not all blended. I really need to get into a habit, but I usually measure everything out ahead of time and then just add a mish mash of stuff to the bowl. Ellie is being really picky, and she only eats out of her bowl if Goomba's soup bowl is totally empty. Goomba's soup is the normal recipe, it has liver and heart and calcium in it. I had to switch to beef and pork because I ran out of turkey for the week. It's a bit stronger smelling, but he'll eat it. I have to spoon feed him first though or he won't go near it.
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Post by katt on May 13, 2012 21:00:18 GMT -5
Hey that's major progress though that he is willing to eat the flavors he associated with being sick! Keep working on him. Don't worry about Ellie too much right now as long as she will eat her food, and as long as she's getting enough to eat. Just make sure she's not eating all of Goomba's food before he can! Do you know how much 2-3 hearts weigh? I think they should get a bit more heart than that. The taurine breaks down somewhat in the freezer. I know we'd talked about taurine supplements before, are you using any? I try to shoot for 10% heart in the diet - about the same amount as organ meat. Will they eat the heart and organ meats on their own? If so it should be an easy transition. They should get about 1.5 meals of each a week (assuming they get 2 meals a day). When you pre-prepare your meats separate them out into ziplock sandwich bags and store those in the freezer. Put about 1-2 meals' worth in each bag. Then you can pull out a bag or two each day to feed. Thaw in the fridge a day ahead and voila! One hour of preparation a month to stock the freezer (or however much meat you get), and only 5 seconds a day to "prepare" food. That should save a lot of time in your day, and allow more time for Goomba's meals since he's the needy one right now where diet is concerned. You can put pumpkin, calcium, and any other supplements in the baggies with the meat before you freeze them too! (Just not taurine since it degrades so fast when frozen). Whenyou do this, put hearts only in some bags, and organ only in some bags, then the rest of the meats mix and match however you please. Then pick a day - say weekends. Friday night move one bag of organ and one bag of heart from the freezer to the fridge. Saturday give one meal of all heart, and one meal of all organs. Then Sunday for breakfast give one meal of half organ and half heart (the remaining food in the 2 bags you thawed, it might take some practice to gauge the amounts right but it should be easy enough if you know how much they eat in a day).
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Post by katt on May 13, 2012 21:44:36 GMT -5
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Post by katt on May 16, 2012 4:16:35 GMT -5
Just poking in for an update.
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Post by kpaz on May 18, 2012 21:05:35 GMT -5
Sorry!!!!!! Work is kicking my butt. Ok, so I found some more turkey soup in the back of the freezer and he's doing really well, eating more soup than kibble and chewing small chunks. I found it just in time too because he started getting finicky with the beef and pork again. He and Ellie have slimmed down, I hope it's just because of the summer but it always freaks me out. Goomba was a total spaz all morning, he'd be walking around the room and then randomly burst into fits of joy and dooking dances, so I don't think he's unwell at all. Pippin has been eating a lot, which is good, and he's been really sweet and active. Ellie is her normal hyper self, and I know she's just summer-skinny, because her fur is REALLY short now and I can feel/see her muscles. She's my little body builder, pure muscle. OK, so here's my plan for the summer. I can only feed two meals a day because of work and I still need to find some time to go to the other store in town. Here's what I've got so far (sorry if it's way off, and I know I need more variety.) Sunday: AM- Chicken Wings PM- Pork Monday: AM- Chicken Hearts PM- Beef Turesday: AM- Chicken Wings(or turkey when Pippin will eat it) PM- Chicken Wings (turkey necks when they'll eat it) Wednesday: AM- Chicken Hearts and Beef Liver PM- Beef Thursday: AM- Chicken PM- Pork Friday: AM- Beef PM- Chicken Liver Saturday: AM- Chicken Wings PM- Chicken (or Turkey) I'm kind of confused on how to fit bone in here I know this probably needs a lot of work
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Post by katt on May 21, 2012 4:49:24 GMT -5
Don't be sorry. I've been a bit overwhelmed too. Your menu looks okay for a start, are you still supplementing them with calcium? You're low on bone but if you supplement that isnt as big of a deal, though we do want to get more bone in there as they get better. Can you get chicken feet? Those are a great bone source and good chew toys. Turkey necks of course are amazing once they learn to like it more. The surprise I sent you should help with that. Do you have Cornish game hen? That's a great edible bone meat, if a little on the spender side. Good to use here and there for some extra variety. It's good to change things up once in a while.
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Post by kpaz on May 21, 2012 21:18:18 GMT -5
Yes, they are still getting eggshell with the baggied meat. I will look around for chicken feet. Thank goodness Daniel is helping me out a ton, I feel like I have no time before and after work, or very little, and it's spent hastily making food, cleaning poop, and giving quick snuggles to each. I get paid on Thursday and I'll be putting a little aside for food and another bit aside for medical bills, so hopefully that will start adding up nicely and I can get some more of the pricier meats. I've seen cornish game hen at the little local market that I've been meaning to go talk to the butchers. I'm never out that way anymore but I keep saying I need to go there and I DO need to still I'm sorry, I feel like this is progressing so slowly and I should probably be kicked out of the mentoring program by now, so THANK YOU for being patient with me. I have to make more food for goomba in the morning, I'm going to see if he'll eat it thicker, and I'll hack some of the turkey off and save it to keep trying to get Pippin to eat it.
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Post by katt on May 24, 2012 2:34:42 GMT -5
Don't be sorry. I've been a lot slower than usual at replying too. And with al of the problems you had with your furs, no one can blame you! Goomba's still eating chunky soup? Let's try to push him a little more if we can and move to more chunks. Let me know how he does!
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