Oops.  Looks like I must have forgotten to list my town when I introduced
myself a while back.  Sorry.  I live in Plainfield, New Jersey.
 
Say, would anyone have any tips on getting the weight off a really fat
ferret?
 
Sam came in to me in September, two years old, neutered and weighing over
four pounds.  The vet that gave him his shots practically laughed herself
sick and dubbed him a fur seal.  He's just so cute and the sweetest thing.
I managed to get him down to a bit under four pounds simply by putting him
on a diet of Iams Kitten and Totally Ferret(50/50 mix approx).  He'd been
fed Tender Vittles before.  Well, Sam has stopped losing weight now, and
with the winter molt, has put even more weight back on.  I haven't weighed
him yet, but he must be close to five pounds.  He's so heavy that he has
trouble climbing over things, and generally drags his belly around.  If I
didn't worry about drying his skin and coat out (my house has electric heat
and is VERY dry), he'd need to get alot more baths than he does for this
reason.  At least he walks normally now, as he originally didn't walk up on
his hips; he dragged himself with his front feet and pushed with his back
feet, looking very much like a seal indeed.  I'm still concerned, tho,
because he doesn't seem to have much control of himself, or perhaps balance
is the right word, when he is picked up and put down.  You can set his back
feet on the floor and he just flops over.  He can't lift or hold his front
end up, not even to sit for a treat and he won't walk down the ramp in his
cage; he just drops over the edge like a stone.  I'm concerned for his
spine!
 
Should I reduce the percentage of Totally Ferret versus Iams Kitten?
Should I separate him from his two cage mates and switch him to a
specialized diet just for him?  And if so, what diet would you suggest?
I'd hate to have to put him by himself as he seems truly happy to have
company.  True, all of them have put on weight, but I know it's due to
winter.  I don't want to short them in the course of helping Sam.
 
So, any suggestions?
 
Thanks in advance,
 
Anastasia and:
ferrets-Mercury, Demetri, Zhakorati, Nutmeg, China, Jhonathan, Skittles,
Java, Jenna, Christopher, Sam.  (Cassie's at the Bridge)
cats- Diesel, Moogie, Tetsuo, Ako, Flinx, Ashura, Calamity, Belle
[Posted in FML issue 2913]