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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2012 1:36:33 GMT -5
So after we discovered that Bandit has a nasty mast cell tumor on his side I have decided to listen to your advice and start giving him reishi to help with inflammation. So here are my questions: 1) How much do I give him and how often? For how long can he be given reishi? 2) Since Bandit has unknown health issues, can I even give something like reishi to him? 3) Since Bandit has known health issues like a heart arrhythmia (and possible murmur), an enlarged spleen, strange masses in his abdomen, and probable GI issues, can he be given reishi? 4) Are there any side effects of the reishi? 5) Should I talk to my vet about this before I start giving it to him, or are there no health problems I need to worry about concerning reishi? 6) Will the reishi help with the inflammation in Bandit's spleen, lymph nodes, and with the strange masses growing inside his abdomen? 7) How soon will I see the effects of the reishi on his mast cell tumor? Thanks in advance  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2012 10:12:34 GMT -5
Good for you for being apprehensive about feeding "strange things" to your pets!!!!
I can provide you some information here based upon my experiences with reishi and my ferrets.
I will start with a quick cautionary statement as well as a "risk mitigation" strategy. Then I'll discuss doing. Finally, I will discuss how reishi became an "accepted" supplement for ferrets.
Cautionary statement:
Almost everything that can be ingested can potentially cause an issue (allergic or inflammatory reaction, affect blood sugar, etc.) in any living organism. )Treatments should be discussed and monitored by a vet. etc.
Risk:
The risk with reishi is considered (by my holistic vet) to be very, very low. Reishi MAY slightly lower blood sugar. It may be safest to avoid use of reishi in insulinomic ferrets. However, mildly insulinomic ferrets have been known to take reishi without apparent problems. I am unaware of any reports that any ferrets taking reishi have experienced any problems with reishi.
Risk Mitigation Strategy:
As always, start with very small doses and increase the dose if all goes well. If any bad "changes" develop, stop treatment. If the side effect is MINOR, you can try the reishi again after a couple of weeks to see if there is a correlation between the side effect and administration of Reishi. Commonsense stuff.
Reality:
Most vets will know nothing about reishi, so they may advise against using because they simply know nothing about it. . Reishi is considered by many to be more of a food supplement than a "medicine". My holistic vet says that Reishi is fine to give ferrets long term, although I suspect that my 4 ferrets may be the first "reishi ferrets" on the planet - LOL!!!
(gotta run - late for work....will update and finish this later)
-jennifer
oK - Here's the continuation:
Dose:
I use either of the following products:
New Chapter Reishi
Host Defense Reishi
Dosing for either product is 1/4 capsule per ferret daily.
If your ferret is mildly insulinomic, reishi my beoK if given as follows:
1. start with a very TINY amount - 1/16h capsule - observer the ferret for a couple of hours after feeding (watch for increased signs of low blood sugar)
2.If all seems well with 1/16 dosage once a day, give 1/16th capsule twice a ay.
3. If this is going well, slowing increase the amount of reishi in the doses. You may want to stick with a lower dosage than the 1/4 capsule per day. But always give not more than half the max. aily amount in any serving... (That is, if you end up using the full, 1/4 capsule per day, give no more than 1/8 capsule in any serving of food (presumably, the reishi would be given two times per day.)
The idea is to spread the "daily dose" throughout the day to keep blood sugar more even.
Again, start out slowly with older ferrets an those that have issues.
Ferrets that re mildly insulinomic.
Reishi is a natural antihistamine and an immune system modulator as well. It's actually viewed by many as a nutritional supplement rather than a medicine. Benefits ay include antihistamine, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer/tumor affects. As far as I'm aware, there have been no reports of reishi causing problems in ferrets, but many have reported unexpected benefits.
History of Reishi for Ferrets
Years ago, my Tomichi girl got this small bum on her gum. It looked like a small tumor. Being the paranoid ferret mom that I am, I was concerned it could be a squamous cell carcinoma, which would require mutilation of the jaw/ face to perhaps give my girl 6 months of crummy quality life. I decided, that if this bump were the carcinoma, I would give her supportive treatment . While I was waiting for my first appointment with the holistic vet, I started giving reishi. Within 2 days, the lump was nearly gone.The holistic vet said that the bump was probably an infection/foreign object shoved under the gum line, bu there was no redness/pain. He also said that reishi could be given long term without any problems. My kids have been on reishi for 3.5-4 years with no issues.
How quickly the reishi will work will depend on the individual ferret. I seems that ferret digestion and immune systems vary quite a bit.
Since your ferret may (or may not) be insulinomic, i would try the reishi but start very slowly and watch for signs of insulinoma very carefully. Again, some ferrets on this site that have had insulinoma have used the reishi without issue. (I was mentoring these ferrets for a switch, so I was aware of the results of trying reishi on mildly insulinomic ferrets.
-jennifer
Reminder:
Reishi is not a problem for a healthy ferret. HOWEVER, any ferret can have a reaction to something - start slow and watch carefully. if your ferret has any issues (and regular blood work may be required to determine this), you should seek advice from a holistic vet before using ANY herbal remedies/supplements.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2012 19:01:27 GMT -5
Thank you And thank you for the response! WIth what has already been said, there is a possibility that Bandit may have low blood sugar (maybe even the beginnings of insulinoma). The reason I say this is because when I had a BG done on my boys before we switched to raw Bandit's was considerably lower than my other boys (73 vs 81, 83, and 91). Mind you, this is on my vet's *cat* setting so I don't know what it REALLY is in ferret terms. When I asked my vet about the numbers he said he didn't consider anything above the 50s-60s to be an indicator of insulinoma, but Bandit's reading still seems a little low to me. SO, we are unsure as to whether he may be showing symptoms of insulinoma. That being said, can he still take the reishi??? |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2012 23:21:19 GMT -5
I just added some more info to my original reply (modified post to add more info)
-jennifer
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Post by miamiferret2 on Nov 12, 2012 10:47:46 GMT -5
my ferret has been taking reishi pretty much every day since he was about 8 months old. I give it to him for general health (preventive) and I have never had any issues with it. I also know a few people who give reishi to their insulinoma ferrets (for IBD, mast cell tumors) and so far they have not experienced any low BG episodes. one of them even stopped giving it to her ferret for about a week or two and she did not note a difference . so she went back to giving it to her ferret because his IBD poops were looking bad without the reishi. However, I agree with Jennifer, anytime you give something like this, it is always good to start out with tiny amounts and then gradually increase to the usual recommended dose. especially true if you have insulinoma ferrets. I had an issue with either saw palmetto or stinging nettle. pretty sure the latter.
i was using it to treat an enlarged prostate on one of my adrenal ferrets. he also had insulinoma and i DO believe that the stinging nettle may have lowered his bg. so, we had to stop the "natural" remedies and we started him on Flutamide and Finasteride.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2012 13:14:45 GMT -5
How do I measure out such low dosages from the capsules??? Do you just eyeball it or is there a neat-o little way I'm unaware of  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2012 13:17:08 GMT -5
May I ask what sort of store you find reishi at? This information has been hugely helpful, I'm looking into getting some reishi for my Soxx.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2012 13:35:27 GMT -5
Do you have a Whole Foods near you? If not, do you have a grocery store that is more *green*, organic, and holistic (like maybe a Greenwise Publix)? This is where I've found Reishi, and I've found the New Chapter that everyone has spoken about. It is a bit pricey, but it seems like a better product that the other brands. I also get my bonemeal from Whole Foods (and I've found lots of probiotics, enzymes, and oils here as well). I haven't checked any vitamin stores, but they might have some too - like a Vitamin Shoppe.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2012 14:25:36 GMT -5
None of those stores near my current location, but I'm moving to a more populated area in about two weeks. Maybe I can find some then, or find some on Amazon...I'll check the local co-op first though, they might have it! Thanks!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2012 16:21:08 GMT -5
I got to see my first co-op ever last month in Brattleboro Freymarie. I would be amazed if they did not have it there, they had all kinds of stuff I term as "hippie crunchy" which is my catch all phrase for holistic stuff, no offense to anyone, I buy some of the hippie crunchy stuff too. Like a pack of Rescue Remedy gum I found (fantastic stuff if you've got a headache!) I saw Hannaford's super markets up there which might have it too, they're more holistic than some of the other chains. You may also have general holistic markets or stores around, I have an old family friend who owns a store the next town over that sells bulk spices, all that gluten free and all natural stuff and has been doing so for years before it ever "caught on". He'd be my place to try and find Reishi first, then a Hannaford or GNC maybe if he didn't have it.  Maybe even Trader Joe's might have it? |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2012 18:01:45 GMT -5
Hmm, we shall see. The co-op is pretty small but they still might have it; I didn't have a chance to check today. If I can't find it here, I'm sure I'll be able to find it when I move to Burlington in a week and a half.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2012 20:20:14 GMT -5
Alrighty, I got Reishi and I know dosage is 1/4 capsule but the capsules I got are the gel kind with powder inside, how do I work around it? I'm thinking about just breaking them all open, tossing the shells and keeping the powder.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2012 22:39:49 GMT -5
Are the capsules "uni-body" ( you cannot pull them apart?  This is a different brand, but you can probably cut them open and divide the content into the desired quantity. (Pain in the butt if you have to deal with this - the brands I use have the capsules that can be "pulled apart". Because reishi is a natural/whole food supplement, dosing is not as critical as with as with refined, concentrated medication. So "guesstimating 1/16 capsule is oK. I ALWAYS err on the side of giving LESS when I first introduce ANY medication/food. I ALWAYS tell my vets this -they always say, "that's not a bad idea". I will add a comment to my original response regarding the use of reishi - an any other supplement/remedy - the comment will be: Reishi is not a problem for a healthy ferret. HOWEVER, any ferret can have a reaction to something - start slow and watch carefully. if your ferret has any issues (and regular blood work may be required to determine this), you should seek advice from a holistic vet before using ANY herbal remedies/supplements. -jennifer |
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Post by darlene on Nov 12, 2012 22:51:12 GMT -5
Reishi is not a problem for a healthy ferret. HOWEVER, any ferret can have a reaction to something - start slow and watch carefully. if your ferret has any issues (and regular blood work may be required to determine this), you should seek advice from a holistic vet before using ANY herbal remedies/supplements. -jennifer There is no holistic vet where I live,I had Koby on reishi for suspected IBD. Then took him off it probably a month ago. While on it,we thought he might also have some kidney issues. I haven't been able to find any info on whether or not reishi would be ok to use with kidney problems. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2012 23:03:30 GMT -5
No, they're the kind I can pull apart. It's just a pain because if I put one back after taking out a quarter of the contents it spills all over the inside of the bottle. lol.
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