Need some help/suggestions *please* re:  ferret with asthma & doctor's
ordered weight loss reduction.
 
About a week ago, I took my 7-yr-old ferret, Rocky, to the vets for what I
suspected to be Congestive Heart Failure.  After exhaustive tests, x-rays,
blood work, etc., it turns out that Rocky has a great heart and vital
organs, but is the first ferret to pass through my vets practice as a
confirmed asthmatic ferret.
 
First question:  does anyone else have a ferret with asthma and out of
curiosity, what medical protocols do others follow for treatment of ferret
asthma?
 
The next problem is that Rocky was also diagnosed as *obese* and has to
lose weight.  He's not a particularly large (skeletal frame) ferret.  He
measures approx.  12 1/2" from his front shoulder joint to the base of the
beginning of his tail.  His stomach measures (at the largest point) about
13" around.  As confirmed by x-rays his vital organs are literally being
crushed by fat.
 
He has been fed ProPlan Chicken & Rice dry kibble all his life: Crude
Protein min 33% (*Chicken* is listed as *first* ingredient); Crude Fat min
20%; Crude Fiber max 3%; Moisture max 12%; Calcium min 1%; Phosphorus
min .8%; and Linoleic Acid min 1.9%.
 
The new food he has prescribed for weight loss is Hill's RX Diet Feline R/D
(dry kibble).  Its Crude Protein min is 31%; Crude Fat min 5%; Fiber max
20%; Moisture max 11%; Calcium max .5%; Phosphorus min .4% and Taurine
min .10%.  The first product listed is "*Poultry By-Product Meal*."
 
I'm supposed to offer him his Hill's RX Diet Feline R/D kibble food three
times a day for 15 minutes each time and then remove.
 
The problem is his cage mate is not overweight (she's actually on the
petite side) and she's used to having the "good" stuff available all the
time.  I don't want to separate them because he just lost his life time (7
year) cage mate last month to adenocarcinoma (with multiple metastases
throughout her little body) last month.
 
Until Farrah left us on Nov. 13 for the Rainbow Bridge, he hated his *now*
cage mate "Minnie" who we have had for over 1= years and had always had to
keep Rocky and Minnie separated.  Within 3-4 days of Farrah's leaving us,
he and Minnie then somehow became inseperable.  I personally think they did
it for Farrah who was always the little peace keeper in the family.
 
I'm very confused by this new weight loss reduction plan.  I don't want to
kill or limit Rocky's life expectancy because of his obesity, but I'm not
sure how to get a handle on this dieting stuff without upsetting his new
cage arrangements with Minnie.
 
I'm sure I'm not the first person to face this dilemma and I'm probably
making more of a problem out of it for myself than it really is, but it
just seems like it's going to be a nightmare.  I can't keep putting this
diet program off, because I know it is harming Rocky's health especially
with the complication of this new asthma diagnosis.
 
Any suggestions, advice, etc., from anyone who has faced taking care of an
asthmatic ferret or putting a ferret on a weight reduction diet would most
definitely be appreciated.
 
Thanks for any input any of you may have.  Happy New Year's to you and
yours.
 
In Ferret Love & Brotherhood,
Mary, Rocky, & Minnie
(and in loving memory of our dear, sweet Farrah)
[Posted in FML issue 2541]