Barb wrote some really nice things about my vet: >(As an aside to those of you who are also members of AFA--coincidentally >the most recent issue of AMERICAN FERRET REPORT (Vol. 11 Number 1) which >I *just* received two days ago has a wonderful photo review of an >esophagostomy feeding tube placement--provided by Peter G. Fisher DVM >(Virginia Beach VA). Definitely worth a look to those interested in BEN's >case.) Barb - thats my vet! Dr. Fisher and Dr. Hulls are absolutely fabulous ferret-friendly vets! This article seems like it was part 2 of 2 --in the previous issue of the AFR(Nov/Dec 1999), he gave the entire procedure from prep for surgery to placing the bandage around the feeding tube. A feeding tube is a great tool when having difficulty feeding or keeping weight on a ferret - I have one here now, Bandit, who has had a tube for almost 14 days now. Bandit is probably the 6th ferret that I have had tubed, with almost always great success. Bandit is a shelter kid, male sable, about 5 or 6, with obvious adrenal gland symptoms. He's the ferret we had so much difficulty finding the right food for? Well, that turned out to be truly crap (G-whiskers cat food, a 3lb bag for $1.00) and even after we did find the food, he continued to lose weight steadily. He came into the shelter weighing 1150g, and in early January, had dropped down to 850g. Thats the day we found his 'regular food' and began free feeding it to him. His next visit, 10 days later, showed a continued decline in weight - now 783g. I was force feeding him to supplement, but for whatever reason, he kept losing weight. (the vet suspects a hairball in there somewhere, but he wasn't a surgical candidate). I had the vet place the feeding tube the next day. He's doing so much better now - he has gained back about 90g after a week of eating and is much brighter and alert.I feed him a mix of A/D, baby food and ensure, and for the first 10 days, I added heavy whipping cream. Oh and tubes have another great use - medications! No worries about how something tastes with a tube! <grin> I will most likely leave the tube in place for another 2 or 3 weeks, to get him back to his 'normal' weight and then schedule adrenal/insulinoma surgery after that. The longest I have ever had a tube in a ferret was just under 6 weeks - and that was a ferret suffering from ECE back in 1996. The biggest thing to watch out for when tube feeding -- is flush the tube thoroughly before and after feeding - a blocked tube is big trouble! Also, be careful of the ferret snagging the end that protrudes over the head...those special ferreticorn ferrets! The only other difficulty that I have ever had with feeding tubes is that sometimes the ferret forgets what its like to eat -- so I always have food available in the cage -- and as they get better, cut down on the amounts I feed and the frequency of the feedings. Lisa Leidig, Head Ferret The Ferret Haven "By-the-Sea" http: www.ferrethaven.org Want to help The Ferret Haven By-the-Sea? Register at iGive.com by cutting and pasting this link: http://www.iGive.com/html/ssi.cfm?CID=1236&MID=854 [Posted in FML issue 2949]