>From:    Ferris James <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: supplements, ferret soup problem
>The problem is one of our ferrets will hardly eat his dry food now- maybe a
>mouthful or two -and really pigs-out on ferret-soup.  Should I be concerned?
>We want our ferrets to eat dry food because it helps to keep their teeth
>clean, right?
 
True, dry foods do not build up on teeth as do soft foods, BUT the biggest
concern here is that in order to have a *balanced* diet appropriate for
ferrets they need the larger portion of their diet to be high quality food
alone, as Totally Ferret is.  By larger portion, I mean roughly 95% of their
diet should be this exclusively.  The other 5% can be made up of safe,
healthy treats, and Duck Soup type mixtures.  Duck Soup is mainly for use
with ill ferrets who refuse to eat their dry food because they feel bad, the
Duck Soup is easiest to force-feed them since it is almost a liquid and
contains more fat, etc., for keeping weight on sick ones.  Alot of the
calories are "empty" calories, but they can keep a sick ferret alive at
least.  It is a good idea to give Duck Soup as a treat, because this lets
your ferrets become accustomed to it's taste, even developing a love for it,
so that when they become ill and need it, they will more readily accept it
because it will be a "familiar treat".  Duck Soup is NOT *better* than
regular dry high quality food, it is just an alternative when they are sick
and won't eat their dry food.
 
>From:    [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re.: Why not give your own shots?
 
Reasonable question...However!....Before anyone decides to give shots
themselves they must answer one big question.  What are you going to do if
your ferret has a reaction to a vaccination?  If a vet administers the shot,
you simply hang around the office for an hour in case this happens, the vet
then can administer medication to save your ferrets life, if it goes into
anaphylactic shock.  If you are home and this happens, you won't have a
moment to spare, and NO TIME to get your ferret to the vets office.  Ferrets
can die from reactions to vaccines!
 
Ferrets can react to Distemper vaccines at any time in their life, it
doesn't matter if they have not reacted before, this could be the one time
they did.  It happens!!  Some ferret shelters give their own shots to save
money, BUT, they also have appropriate medicines on hand and know how to
administer them, in case of a reaction!!
 
Another consideration is that ferrets need to see the vet at least once per
year for a general check up anyway (though I recommend every six months), so
if they get annual vaccinations at the vet, they can also get a check up!
This can be important in detecting other health problems early on.
 
Trish
Director, Ferrets First Rescue & Shelter
[Posted in FML issue 1839]