Anonymous MS reports her 3 month old ferret is suffering from ulcers
and her vet recommended taking the ferret OFF of raw and putting it on
a kibble diet. Well, of course my first reaction is "WHAT is the vet
thinking?" then going on to analyze the info offered: A three month
old ferret with ulcers? My first reaction would be to check it for a
helicobactor infection and medicate accordingly. Then I'd run through
the normal stress factors that contribute to ulcers: Housing, cage
mates, environmental changes, diet.
IS this a store bought kit? IF yes, then that kit has already undergone
tremendous amounts of stress:
1) Early spay/neutering.
2) Removal from it's mother, most likely an early weaning too - from
nourishing milk to typical kibble mash.
3) Early vaccinations (not necessarily stressful in and of themselves) -
but if the kit's immune system is compromised due to other stresses,
this won't help.
4) Removal and displacement from its litter-mates - likely the second
strongest bond after its mother that the kit has already established.
5) Shipping stress from the breeder to the shipper to the store to the
new home.
6) Handling stress endured by all the people picking it up - people at
the breeders, shippers, the store employees and the shoppers, not to
mention the purchaser. Besides JUST the physical handling stress -
scarey stuff for a pint sized newly born animal - but also the influx
of germs from every one of these people!
IF the kit is NOT a store bought kit, then SOME of these stresses may
be eliminated - but many still exist; especially if the breeder sold
the kit as a kibble cruncher INSTEAD of a raw fed kit.
At 3 months old the kit is still very young - and for a kit to ALREADY
have established ulcers - I'd STRONGLY consider an inborn helicobactor
infection or parasite load!
The usual response to an animal with ulcers is to put it on a higher
protein, easier to digest diet - this would NOT mean a kibble diet!
Usually a soft diet too - like "Duck soup". Get some Carnivore care
(from the vet), and get some pingford's porridge, add a bit of
ferretone and warm water to make a mash and feed this to the kit.
Medicate as needed until the ulcers heal then introduce raw back into
the porridge mix gradually until the kit is eating normally.
For mild raw offerings I'd suggest at first using meat from cornish
game hen, chicken wings, and thighs; avoid dark red meats - or if you
feed hearts, offer teensy bits at first - it would be difficult to
ascertain if the dark stool is from ulcers or from ingesting dark
meats. If you do whole prey too add mice or rat pups, avoid day old
chicks. Mash up some butterworms if you do insects - I'd avoid
superworms until the ulcers are healed because those worms have a
rather hard exoskeleton and chitinous head - not something I'd want a
sore gut to encounter. Talk to your vet about a calcium supplement -
which may help the ulcerated tissue heal itself. I pulverize cuttlefish
bone in a mortar and pestle to add calcium to my guys diets when I am
feeding a lot of rat and mice pups but your vet may have a line on
calcium ground even smaller - or perhaps liquified.
If you are absolutely bent upon turning the kit into a kibble
cruncher - then at least feed it ONLY grain free kibble! ANY kind of
grain at all will only irritate the ulcers.
If your kit IS suffering from a helicobactor infection - you are in
for a long haul to get rid of it. But ensuring the kit gets a highly
nutritious, easy to utilize animal protein, high fat diet is the best
way to rebuild its immune system.
Offer the kit a place to get completely dark for extended periods
of time, reduce any excessive handling or roughhousing from other
ferrets. Make sure the kit has a warm place to snooze - but don't let
it get overheated. Give it something to snuggle with if it is alone -
or ensure whatever buddy is with him is calm and quiet (and also
helicobactor free) - personally I'd lean towards isolating the kit
until the ulcers are healed just to reduce any stressful influences -
or if suffering with helicobactor - the kit can't pass it to another
ferret then get it passed back. I'd offer the kit warmed water from a
dish to encourage high consumption.
The poster didn't mention anything about diahhrea or black tarry stools
both indications of ulcers and/or helicobactor - but also indications
that fluids are being expelled at high rates - so hydration is crucial
to recovery.
The poster doesn't mention if the kit was already a well established
raw fed ferret - or if the kit is still in the transition phase. I'd
keep feeding the raw, test for helicobactor infection, medicate as
needed and allow the mild, high protein, high fat diet to work its
magic! I certainly would NOT aggravate an already sore gut with rough,
dry kibble. The compromised gut will have a more difficult time
extracting nutrients from kibble than it will from a raw diet - even
a soup made from meaty items and high meat protein sources is better
than plant food based kibble!
Good luck with your little one!
Cheers,
Kim
[Posted in FML 6615]
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