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]