I think by now most of the old timers have their own recipe they
believe in.

My soup is for the old sick ones or those going through horrid diarrhea
and it seems to be a medicine of its own:

1 can AD
4 jars Gerber's Chicken (or Turkey) and Gravy
I fill half way two jars with ReBound (like pedilyte but lasts longer,
can get it at most vets or at Revival) shake, pour into a second jar
shake and then pour into soup - gets ALL the babyfood and adds a little
liquid to the diet.
2 heaping tablespoons of PURE pumpkin
1 bottle of Vivify (emu oil)
2 pkgs of Flora (the good bacteria - Amoxy kills all bacteria and they
need bacteria in their colons, this helps them firm up again).

that is for the VERY sick ones that have to be syringe fed-- it's
blended in the blender till creamy. Then for the ones recovering, I
add 1/2 cup of Wysong soaked before blending into the soup. The first
without kibble is wanting to feed them a bland diet to keep the stomach
calm down (plus usually giving Amoxy, carrafate and furmodene) and its
easier to get into a syringe. Then for recovery, to get the weight back
on, I go to the mixture with the Wysong (their own kibble would do)
where they have something that sticks to the ribs. I usually make
double or triple batches and freeze in smaller containers marked W or
W/O just in case there is only ONE sick ferret in the group (if only
that would happen) and /or to keep it fresh by having to thaw out a
new batch every other day and/or when I go to switch from W/O to W.

All I can say is it works for us. Vivify is expensive but it seems to
really give them their recovery faster. The rebound keeps them more
hydrated without having to subq them. The pumpkin settles the stomach
and I can tell if the system is using the food or just passing it
through by the poop color. And with this many ferrets, the faster to
recovery, the better.

It's getting them off the soup that's the trick, visualize rows of
ferrets hanging onto the cage bars, looking towards the kitchen,
banging their dishes at feed time - its not a pretty sight. But it
is a beautiful sight to see them finally eating by themselves and
licking their lips. WOW.

Millie and her Danes at the
Texas Ferret Lovers Rescue
www.txferretrescue.org

[Posted in FML 7350]