Hello all my ferret lovers.  I don't post as much as I would like to since
being ill with a weird virus that has me on prednisone but I wanted to
share my happiness with you all.
 
My ferret named fatbert has his ulcer back.  I took him to the vet and he
gave him the medicine he was on this past Feb with the ulcer..It was touch
and go in February as he had lost a significant amount of weight.But with
my feeding him and making sure he ate every three hours in three days time
he ate his ferret food and drank on his own.This time he has been ill with
the ulcer since August 14th and has not responded to the medicine..he still
as of this Monday was grinding his teeth and throwing up.  I watched him
try and sleep all day but I set my alarm clock to feed him every three
hours..and after a few times of forcing him to eat he began to eat out of
a Tupperware bowl the Gerber's Stage 2 Turkey.  He still would not drink
any water so I forced pedialyte down him and soon he was able to take it
without too much fuss..  Now it is September 8th and he still will not eat
his ferret food on his own.  I am very upset but now my vet told me to
mix Cat/kitten food the soft kind along with the baby food and give him
that..He now is up to two jars of the Gerbers and one large can of Iams
Kitten soft food in a can..but refuses to eat his ferret food.  SO then why
am I so happy despite him not eating normally??  I will tell you..He no
longer fights me feeding him the baby food and now because he is smarter
then we give ferret's credit for,has found a new way to wake me up every
three hours..How you might ask since he cannot talk??  He scratches his
food bowl with the ferret food in it and keeps scratching it until I wake
up from the digging clinking noise from the food dish<smile>..so now I am
happy he can at least *tell*me he is hungry and just give him his
baby/kitten soft food and sleep..I am still worried he will never eat his
regular ferret food so if anyone here ever had a very ill ferret that was
on baby food or kitten food maybe you can tell me how to show him his
ferret food is better..I tried adding warm water and letting it get real
mushy but all he will do is smell the food and then beg for his Baby
food..I appreciate any suggestions you can think of to wean him off of the
soft stuff I am giving him.  I am still very happy I have because I am more
stubborn then he is to make sure he eats..and I have won the battle of him
not eating and sleeping all day..
 
Thanks for letting me tell you my story and thank for all of your love and
support I always receive here..Please keep Fats in your prayers that his
ulcer heals and as always I will keep all of the ill or ones who have
crossed over in my prayers..
 
Michele and Fatbert and Ratbert
[Posted in FML issue 3169]