Even with the Listerine helping them, Sevie's oral sores are making it
difficult for her to drink and eat from a bowl or spoon.  She finds
comfort in having food held up high right now and drinking it that way.
Now, syringes are out; they simply pose too great an inhalation risk and
the last thing she needs is aspiration pneumonia.  We have found and
swear by two alternatives when it boils down to simply having to use
something: a small crafts bottle which is small baby doll bottle size
with its tip cut off and is easily squeezed gently, and a thing called
a Dr. Clown 1 tsp.  Spoon-Dropper which is what she currently prefers.
When a pharmacy around here stopped carrying those we had to track them
down and place an order (Some of which went to shelters, some to family
with babies due, and some for our ferrets.).  Because we had to order
them we have the details in case anyone wants to give them to a pharmacy
or animal hospital, so I'll put those in this once so that they can be
in the Archives: Item #67032, Dr. Clown 1 teaspoon Spoon-Dropper from
Apothecary Products, Inc.  Minneapolis, MN 55337, [log in to unmask]
These measure up to 1 teaspoon and up to 5 ml in large increments.  What
is great about them is the top which has the clown face but is accordion
pleated so that fine control is easy accomplished.  This means that the
risk of accidental inhalation is way, way down.
 
Sevie is very, very interested in food and liquids; she just can't handle
them any other way now.  Hey, any ferret who goes 7 months (I had one
time been enthusiastically but accidentally adding on an extra month but
it will be 7 months in a few days.) with Complete A/V Heart Node Block is
really already beating the odds in an incredible fashion, so as long as
she is having fun... Her slower heart rate in the 50s is so low that she
should be pale, cold, and always tired.  Instead, she is somewhat cold
and loves long hugs in a hot shower, she is not pale, and although she
sleeps a lot she still arranges toys and steals light weight items (very
happily), plus she loves to show off the cod liver oil smell of her
muzzle when she gets her Enacard which is compounded with that (which is
why our house stinks of cod liver oil) and when she gets liver soup just
to make the others jealous...
 
The Listerine is what the vets felt would be safest for her to help heal
her mouth sores right now.  To top if off it turns out that she likes the
taste, though she hates the swab with which we apply it.  I'll have to
see if I can find an unused tiny atomizer to spray it in while we open
her mouth.
 
The others (the ferrets, rather than Steve and I who wait on her hand and
foot) are also tending to her well.
[Posted in FML issue 4031]