WHEN SHOULD YOU FEED A SICK FERRET?:
 
If your ferret is so ill that you have to place it in a hospital cage,
when should you start thinking about feeding them?  Assuming you have
already discussed the situation with your vet and the ferret has been
cleared to eat, then you have two different things to consider: hydration
and nutrition.  Hydration is nothing more than maintaining a proper fluid
balance within your ferret, and it is vital to health and recovery--even
life.  In some situations, the importance of hydration has to be balanced
with the need to watch water intake due to cardiopulmonary, kidney, or
other problems.  If your ferret has been cleared for unlimited drinking,
or has no health problems that would preclude limiting fluids, you should
encourage drinking as much as possible.  I have found I can increase the
water intake of a sick ferret--even double it--simply by offering it
water on a frequent basis.  Not a single ferret in my home will refuse
cool fresh water directly from a bowl (I use a bowl so I can measure
input), and most slurp longer when *I* pick them up and directly offer
the drink.
 
If a ferret is properly hydrated, doesn't suffer from bouts of low
blood sugar, and hasn't depleted their body fat reserves, they can go
a surprising long period of time without food without serious medical
problems.  One myth about ferrets that has more lives than a medusa has
heads is that ferrets have to eat every 4 or 5 hours or it will cause
some sort of health problem.  Not only is there a singular lack of
evidence to support this myth, but it also lies outside the realm of
biological and physiological reality.  Besides, the practical experience
of hundreds of years of recorded ferret care and thousands of European
ferret owners, workers and breeders prove otherwise.
 
Myth number two is that because ferrets have elongated bodies, they have
higher metabolic rates than other animals of comparable size.  This myth
has recently been shown in black-footed ferrets, polecats, and ferrets to
be absolutely wrong.  This excerpt from the abstract of a recent paper
illustrates the findings,
"We measured basal metabolic rates (BMR) for both species.  In contrast
with the commonly stated belief that mustelids have relatively high
mass-specific BMR, neither the BMR of ferrets nor that of polecats in
winter was greater than standard allometric predictions for all mammals.
As suggested by previous authors, we believe that our relatively lower
measurements for BMR are due to our efforts to minimize stress during the
experimental procedure.  These results support the contention that BMR in
mustelids is no different from what is expected of mammals of this body
mass."
 
In other words, the hypothesis that ferrets have to eat every 4 to 5
hours because of their metabolism has been FALSIFIED.  In short, as
our friends across the big pond can testify, ferrets easily adapt to a
twice-a-day feeding regime, and while it ISN'T recommended by any means,
they can even adjust to a single feeding per day.  Observations that
ferrets might want to eat every 4 to 5 hours are evidence of dietary
adaptation to a captive environment, NOT physiological requirements.
This is important to realize, because it allows ferret owners a bit of
freedom when nursing ferrets back to health.  I have found that if a
ferret remains properly hydrated, they generally do ok deciding how much
to eat on their own and if they don't eat much for a few days, I may
note it, but I don't worry much about it until their weight loss becomes
significant (greater than 10% in 3 days).
 
Still, there comes a time when you realize the ferret is losing weight,
or has such a low food intake that it could impact recovery.  You have
noted this because you have carefully monitored the ferret's food intake
and fluid intake, and have noted a small but significant weight loss.  At
this point, I try other fare, including offering extra helping of favored
foods, to see if that doesn't simulate the ferret to eat more.  If that
doesn't work, I schedule an appointment with my vet and have them help
evaluate the situation.  It may be that a set of fresh eyes might
recognize a situation I am missing.  Even if not, I want my vet to be
aware of the situation, and to be part of the solution.  I specifically
ask if it is ok to start hand-feeding the ferret; in effect, a mild form
of force-feeding.
 
With the vet's implicit agreement, I set up a feeding program that
usually adheres to the following schedule:
 
0800:  Baby chicken diluted 50% with water
1100:  Water offered
1200:  Bob's Chicken Gravy
1500:  Water offered
1600:  Baby turkey mixed with 1/2 in. Nutrical and diluted 25% with Water
1900:  Water offered
2000:  Bob's Chicken Gravy mixed 50% with Baby Beef/Veal
2300:  Water offered
2400:  Baby chicken diluted 50% with water
 
Bob C
[Posted in FML issue 4409]