Post by jon on Aug 4, 2009 19:09:06 GMT -5
OK, here goes. We're ready (I hope). We've got a mix of ages, shapes, and sizes.
?
Alrighty, down to business. Copy and paste the following into the first post of your update thread. Fill it out and continue to post all updates on your "furkid(s)" progress in that thread:
1. How many ferrets do you currently have? What are their names, ages, genders, and do they have any health problems (this is VERY important)?
12 ferrets.
Bella, 4, F, none
G?Kar, 3, M, none
Inara, 2, F, none*
Kaylee,5?,F,none*
Londo, 3, M, none
Moriarty,4,M,IBS (deaf)
Merry,<1,M,none
Midas,5mo,M,none (already on raw food)
Otis,4,M,None (deaf)
Pippin,<1,M,none
Tommy,4,M,post-adrenal (deaf)
Zoe,2,F,none*
?
** Rescues from the Ohio rescue ? not descented
2. What are your ferrets currently eating? Include their main diet, plus any treats or supplements (such as duck soup).
Totally Ferret
Ferretone
8-in-1 vitamin treats
8-in-1 skin and coat
Purina kitten chow (stolen)
Duck soup/Chicken baby food when sick
3. What kind of diet do you want to switch to?
Bones and raw food.? Chicken, Beef, Turkey. Possibly some whole prey in the future (mice-sickles)
4. Why do you want to switch to this more natural diet??
We?ve gone through several adrenals, lost two to cancer. I feel that a more natural diet will enhance their immune systems, improve their quality of life, and hopefully, give them longer, healthier lives.
5. Where/what/who got you interested in natural diets?
Our friends in Chicago switched their dogs to BARF a couple of years ago, and even their older ones showed marked improvement in muscle tone, coat, and energy levels.
6. Please list the current weight for your ferret(s). Do they appear overweight? Underweight? How is there muscle tone??
Bella, 1lb 7oz, Thin, but she always has been. Medium muscle tone
G?Kar, 2lbs 15oz, M, Good muscle tone
Inara, 1lb 8oz, good muscle tone
Kaylee,1lb 11oz,poor muscle tone? - we believe she may be older than 5
Londo, 3lb 12oz,Good muscle tone, but big.? Has lost some weight in the past 2 months (summer?)
Moriarty,2lbs,Thin, poor muscle tone, recurring IBS
Merry,2lbs 4oz, Good muscle tone
Midas,3lbs, Good muscle tone
Otis,2lbs 10oz,Good muscle tone
Pippin,1lb 13oz ,Good muscle tone, a little thin
Tommy,2lbs 12oz,medium muscle tone ? getting chubby
Zoe,2lbs 4oz,Good muscle tone, also getting chubby
?
7. What is the condition of your ferret's teeth/gums? (can you get a picture?)
Most are good.? G?Kar and Bella each had a top canine removed a couple of years ago.
8. Describe the texture/color of your ferrets coat.
Bella: Dark sable, smooth and glossy
G'Kar: Light brown sable, rough
Inara: Dark sable, soft
Kaylee: Sandy, very long and soft
Londo: Medium Sable, smooth
Moriarty: DEW, long and soft
Merry: Champaign, soft
Midas: Cinimon, very thick and soft
Otis: DEW, medium
Pippin: Light sable, soft
Tommy: DEW, somewhat coarse
Zoe: Dark sable, smooth
9. How often does your ferret go to the bathroom?
All the time! Several times per day
10. Does your ferret's feces and/or urine smell??
Most do not smell(hard to tell with so many).? We add Bi-Odor to their water. Londo does have very strong smelling urine.
11. Smell your ferret. How strong is their odor?
None of them have strong odors except Kaylee ? she?s not descented, and she ?leaks? a little.? Inara and Zoey will stiff poof when frightened, or when they get into a fight (usually with G?Kar ? thinks he?s the Alpha). Otis has more musk smell than most of the others.
12. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being completely lethargic and 10 being "through the roof!" what is your ferret's energy level?
Bella, 4
G?Kar, 9
Inara, 9
Kaylee,2
Londo, 6
Moriarty,4
Merry, 9
Midas,7
Otis,6
Pippin, 9
Tommy, 6
Zoe,5
?
13. How excited is your ferret about meal time (when fed kibble)??
Londo is the only one who gets excited about (any) food.
14. Have you attempted to switch from kibble to a natural diet in the past? If so, what methods have you tried. Be specific.
We did try about a year and a half ago.? Several of that group are no longer with us (rainbow bridge ? not from the diet).? We used hand diced chicken, chicken wings, and chopped stew beef.? We took away the kibble, and went ?cold turkey?.? Of the nine we had at the time, only 3 would eat meat, and only one consistently ? sadly, we just lost her last month to liver disease.? To try to get them to accept the meat as food, we added ferretone, duck soup mix, chicken baby food, and crushed kibble.? We abandoned the attempt after 2 weeks.? The ones who refused were losing weight, and would not accept hand feeding.
15. What other information about your ferret(s) would you like to share??
We're still integrating - Midas does pretty well with everyone but Inara, and sometimes G'Kar (he's the bully). Midas has started to revert back to kibble (wouldn't finish his chicken). We're re-arranging the caging situation so that temptation is out of reach for him. He needs to set the example for the others!
16. If you can, please post a clear photograph of EACH of your ferrets directly below:
I'll try to put together a collage later.
17.?
a.) Do you understand that by starting this thread you commit to posting updates on the progress of your ferret(s) diet switch atleast every other day?**?
Yes
b.) Do you understand that if you will be away from your computer for an extended period of time you will need to exchange phone numbers (or email addresses if you don't feel comfortable exchanging numbers)via private message with your assigned mentor, so that we can monitor your progress and ensure your ferret's saftey during the switch?
Yes
c.) Do you understand that any threads that have not been updated in for more then a week (with no explaination as to why you are absent) will result in the deletion of the thread?***
Yes
**Note 1: If you are unable to make it to a computer (such as on weekends) please indicate below so we know whether you just dont have computer access or if you have gone MIA.? ***Note 2: If you would like to try the switch again and you are committed to making regular updates you ARE welcome to restart your thread. Failure to provide regular updates will result in the deletion of your thread.
?
Alrighty, down to business. Copy and paste the following into the first post of your update thread. Fill it out and continue to post all updates on your "furkid(s)" progress in that thread:
1. How many ferrets do you currently have? What are their names, ages, genders, and do they have any health problems (this is VERY important)?
12 ferrets.
Bella, 4, F, none
G?Kar, 3, M, none
Inara, 2, F, none*
Kaylee,5?,F,none*
Londo, 3, M, none
Moriarty,4,M,IBS (deaf)
Merry,<1,M,none
Midas,5mo,M,none (already on raw food)
Otis,4,M,None (deaf)
Pippin,<1,M,none
Tommy,4,M,post-adrenal (deaf)
Zoe,2,F,none*
?
** Rescues from the Ohio rescue ? not descented
2. What are your ferrets currently eating? Include their main diet, plus any treats or supplements (such as duck soup).
Totally Ferret
Ferretone
8-in-1 vitamin treats
8-in-1 skin and coat
Purina kitten chow (stolen)
Duck soup/Chicken baby food when sick
3. What kind of diet do you want to switch to?
Bones and raw food.? Chicken, Beef, Turkey. Possibly some whole prey in the future (mice-sickles)
4. Why do you want to switch to this more natural diet??
We?ve gone through several adrenals, lost two to cancer. I feel that a more natural diet will enhance their immune systems, improve their quality of life, and hopefully, give them longer, healthier lives.
5. Where/what/who got you interested in natural diets?
Our friends in Chicago switched their dogs to BARF a couple of years ago, and even their older ones showed marked improvement in muscle tone, coat, and energy levels.
6. Please list the current weight for your ferret(s). Do they appear overweight? Underweight? How is there muscle tone??
Bella, 1lb 7oz, Thin, but she always has been. Medium muscle tone
G?Kar, 2lbs 15oz, M, Good muscle tone
Inara, 1lb 8oz, good muscle tone
Kaylee,1lb 11oz,poor muscle tone? - we believe she may be older than 5
Londo, 3lb 12oz,Good muscle tone, but big.? Has lost some weight in the past 2 months (summer?)
Moriarty,2lbs,Thin, poor muscle tone, recurring IBS
Merry,2lbs 4oz, Good muscle tone
Midas,3lbs, Good muscle tone
Otis,2lbs 10oz,Good muscle tone
Pippin,1lb 13oz ,Good muscle tone, a little thin
Tommy,2lbs 12oz,medium muscle tone ? getting chubby
Zoe,2lbs 4oz,Good muscle tone, also getting chubby
?
7. What is the condition of your ferret's teeth/gums? (can you get a picture?)
Most are good.? G?Kar and Bella each had a top canine removed a couple of years ago.
8. Describe the texture/color of your ferrets coat.
Bella: Dark sable, smooth and glossy
G'Kar: Light brown sable, rough
Inara: Dark sable, soft
Kaylee: Sandy, very long and soft
Londo: Medium Sable, smooth
Moriarty: DEW, long and soft
Merry: Champaign, soft
Midas: Cinimon, very thick and soft
Otis: DEW, medium
Pippin: Light sable, soft
Tommy: DEW, somewhat coarse
Zoe: Dark sable, smooth
9. How often does your ferret go to the bathroom?
All the time! Several times per day
10. Does your ferret's feces and/or urine smell??
Most do not smell(hard to tell with so many).? We add Bi-Odor to their water. Londo does have very strong smelling urine.
11. Smell your ferret. How strong is their odor?
None of them have strong odors except Kaylee ? she?s not descented, and she ?leaks? a little.? Inara and Zoey will stiff poof when frightened, or when they get into a fight (usually with G?Kar ? thinks he?s the Alpha). Otis has more musk smell than most of the others.
12. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being completely lethargic and 10 being "through the roof!" what is your ferret's energy level?
Bella, 4
G?Kar, 9
Inara, 9
Kaylee,2
Londo, 6
Moriarty,4
Merry, 9
Midas,7
Otis,6
Pippin, 9
Tommy, 6
Zoe,5
?
13. How excited is your ferret about meal time (when fed kibble)??
Londo is the only one who gets excited about (any) food.
14. Have you attempted to switch from kibble to a natural diet in the past? If so, what methods have you tried. Be specific.
We did try about a year and a half ago.? Several of that group are no longer with us (rainbow bridge ? not from the diet).? We used hand diced chicken, chicken wings, and chopped stew beef.? We took away the kibble, and went ?cold turkey?.? Of the nine we had at the time, only 3 would eat meat, and only one consistently ? sadly, we just lost her last month to liver disease.? To try to get them to accept the meat as food, we added ferretone, duck soup mix, chicken baby food, and crushed kibble.? We abandoned the attempt after 2 weeks.? The ones who refused were losing weight, and would not accept hand feeding.
15. What other information about your ferret(s) would you like to share??
We're still integrating - Midas does pretty well with everyone but Inara, and sometimes G'Kar (he's the bully). Midas has started to revert back to kibble (wouldn't finish his chicken). We're re-arranging the caging situation so that temptation is out of reach for him. He needs to set the example for the others!
16. If you can, please post a clear photograph of EACH of your ferrets directly below:
I'll try to put together a collage later.
17.?
a.) Do you understand that by starting this thread you commit to posting updates on the progress of your ferret(s) diet switch atleast every other day?**?
Yes
b.) Do you understand that if you will be away from your computer for an extended period of time you will need to exchange phone numbers (or email addresses if you don't feel comfortable exchanging numbers)via private message with your assigned mentor, so that we can monitor your progress and ensure your ferret's saftey during the switch?
Yes
c.) Do you understand that any threads that have not been updated in for more then a week (with no explaination as to why you are absent) will result in the deletion of the thread?***
Yes
**Note 1: If you are unable to make it to a computer (such as on weekends) please indicate below so we know whether you just dont have computer access or if you have gone MIA.? ***Note 2: If you would like to try the switch again and you are committed to making regular updates you ARE welcome to restart your thread. Failure to provide regular updates will result in the deletion of your thread.