The person is seeking game suggestions for a deaf ferret which are doable
with her arthritic hands.
POST YOUR SUGGESTIONS HERE ON THE FML WHERE SHE WILL READ THEM, PLEASE!
A lot of very important topics, including the one above, got short
shrift in the last two months while people were so busy with some
(repetitive to me) stuff.
---
Holly, Yes.
Here are the versions most people seem to prefer complete with
preparation options, though there certainly are others and have been for
at least 25 years (probably longer), though this one seems to be much
more balanced nutritionally:
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/duck_soup.htm
http://www.trifl.org/gravy.shtml
A lot of people swear by those; noticed the the care given to balance it.
The only concerns I have seen vets bring up can be solved with a good
sieving at the end. We actually haven't used them, not having need, and
with my keeping meat cooking to a minimum to avoid causing discomfort for
my vegetarian husband.
Another food I should check out at some point is Carnivore Care about
which I have heard truly wonderful things for sick ferrets.
Historically (LOL! Ferrets fiddle around while Sukie doesn't burn
Rome -- errrrrr, food.), we usually here have used a/d mixed with
heated water for sick ferrets, with excellent results.
It sounds like such options will be well discussed at the coming
Canadian Chapter IFC Ferret Aid Symposium:
http://www.ferretaid.org/events/ferret_aid_2006.html
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
so hopefully you will be able to attend!
Starvation/ long fasting and ferrets: Well, some ferret specific data
already appeared here (from Dr. Bruce William's site) but here are
some things that come up for people to delve into when searched upon
but I do not have time to read them, and I am not someone who has made
an assertions that needs proving on this regard:
http://ep.physoc.org/cgi/reprint/83/6/727
(updated as of 4/11/06)
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?
cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=1890646&query_hl=1&itool=
pubmed_docsum>
Those were ferret starvation results.
Looking at starvation mustela brings up the following group:
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?
cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16179729&query_hl=2
&itool=pubmed_docsum>
(for mink, but compare that to some of the physiological data for
ferrets from Dr. Bruce Williams and others and if memory serves they
DIFFER. Still, it looks to be an intriguing endocrinological
wintertime study.)
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?
cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15840653&query_hl=2
&itool=pubmed_docsum>
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?
cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=10942583&query_hl=2
&itool=pubmed_docsum>
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?
cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=2382404&query_hl=2&itool=
pubmed_docsum>
(mink, and here is a sad quote which makes you wonder what is done wrong:
>Of a total of 2122 kits, 548 of those that were born alive died within
>the first four weeks of life (25.8% mortality) and there were also 62
>stillborn kits. Death resulted from a variety of causes of which
>septicaemia, starvation and hypothermia were the most common conditions.
>The highest mortality occurred within the first week of life (61.9%).
Looking at the bibliographies I could find there is a good deal more, so
maybe anyone advising a very long fast or even saying it could be safe
should read them and their bibliographies first, and do some further
searching instead of figuring there might not be any data. It pays when
possible to have data to support advice when that data is available.
THAT is what worries me the most about the assertion that a 24 or 48 hour
fast is safe for a ferret. There have been folks acting like there isn't
any data out there so then their assumption is that it is safe. Well, it
looks like there is a decent amount of data out there, so was there ever
even any searching done? Granted, some or many of these things above
might not be applicable, but some of them might be, or comparisons can be
made across documents. Honestly, I think the few people (one person?)
asserting it is safe are the ones who should prove that is the case
rather than asking others to do the searching.
Our late adoptee, Sherman, had multiple problems when the shelter got
him, including emaciation. He wound up with life long GI problems
(severe) and died young (only 5 or 6 years old) of a complication arising
from having to repeatedly save him from his GI damage (development of an
antibiotic allergy during yet one more attempt to save him from a
down-swing).
-- Sukie (not a vet, and not speaking for any of the below in my
private posts)
Recommended health resources to help ferrets and the people who love
them:
Ferret Health List
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
AFIP Ferret Pathology
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
Miamiferrets
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
International Ferret Congress Critical References
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 5210]
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