This is my basic recipe for Stan's Stew, or duck soup.  I give this at least
once a week to all my ferrets.  They love it.  I feed it in Corning soup
platters, very flat and very wide.  Target has them.  They clean easily and
don't break.  I feed it regularly to give them a little boost, but mainly so
they are used to eating it in case of illness.
 
2       jars (4oz.ea.) Earth's Best organic baby food, meat variety
2       tsp. organic flax seed oil
1       can Deliver, Ensure or other similar product
1       tsp. Pet Tinic liquid vitamins
2       tsp.  "The Missing Link" feline supplement by Petscriptions, inc.
        800-774-PETS
[1/2?]  tsp. vitamin C powder (about 750-1000mg)
3       drops vitamin E (about 100mg.)
1       heaping tsp. KMR Kitten Weaning Formula
2       tsp. torula yeast flakes.
2       capsule CO-Q10, 30mg. (contents only)
2       tsp. acidolphilus powder
 
For diarrhea symptoms, ece, and such I add the following while removing
the acidolphilus. I remove the acidolphilus since the colloidal silver
will kill off bacteria.
3       cc colloidal silver
1       tablet Viraplex, crushed. Available from Enzymatic Therapy,
        1-800-783-2286
 
For coccidia and giardia, I use the basic recipe plus:
 
1       capsule Nutribiotic Capsules Plus, which contain 100 mg. grapefruit
        extract, echinacea and artemisia annua.
 
But I only add this product for one week, then switch to just grapefruit
extract alone.
 
You can also substitute all or part of the Deliver for Pedialyte, if you
have a dehydrated ferret.  But always remember that you can give Pedialyte
by itself, at different times than the duck soup.  You need to space due to
stomach size restrictions.
 
There are different stages in feeding with sick animals.  The worst is force
feeding, when you have to pin them down and just squirt it in their mouths,
hand feeding, which is where the animal voluntarily takes food offered by
you, and self feeding.
 
For force feeding and hand feeding, I use a baby's medicinal dropper.  I
find this easier to use than a syringe.  It looks like a minature turkey
baster, is marked with volumes and is easily cleaned.  You can get them for
under a $1 a piece at any drug or grocery store.
 
I use a Braun hand held blender to mix it up with.  They come with a tall
container that is perfectly sized.  When I am finished, I fill up the
container with soapy water, stick the blender in and run it to clean it.  It
also came with a mini food processor attachment that works great for
grinding dry food if you want.
 
Maggie
[Posted in FML issue 2064]