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Post by spiritualtramp on Feb 3, 2009 19:48:58 GMT -5
I have a question that will help out the fuzzies that I'm mentoring, as well as my own kids!
My Ranger sometimes vomits after eating organ meats, usually heart and kidney. I've taken to pureeing them, and feeding Ranger the puree separately from the rest of the group so that I can monitor how much he's getting (I serve a smaller portion to him,) and then I follow it with some ground chicken or turkey, or some soupies, and that seems to keep him from throwing it up. What would cause such a sensitivity? The organs I've fed are chicken livers, chicken hearts, beef kidneys, and beef hearts. Ranger seems to react to all of them, but none of my other kids have ever had an issue.
Dearambellina also had a cat react similarly to organ - she's switching her kitties as well as her fuzzies at the same time. I told her that Ranger does this sometimes too and that I'll look into it, and hopefully get some suggestions that can help the both of us out!
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Post by sherrylynne on Feb 3, 2009 20:41:44 GMT -5
Lucrezia will vomit if I allow her to have too much fish too quickly(she's a piggy, and LOVES her smelts  ). Boris does the same with beef if I don't keep a close eye on him. He loves it, and eats it too fast, and sometimes too much in one sitting. My one cat vomits with anything chicken, because of a sensitivy to it. You also might want to tell her that cats only need a grape sized piece of liver a couple of times a week, so she could be eating too much of it. |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Feb 3, 2009 23:53:31 GMT -5
I would say that either the ferret/cat is:
a.) Eating the organs to quickly (because they like them) which can lead to vommitting
b.) Sensitive to how rich the organs are
c.) Eating meat that is too "ripe"
I would recommend feeding smaller portions. If a ferret can't handle a once weekly organ meal, then I would feed the organs spread out over the course of the week along with meat and RMBS to balance out the richness. Also be sure you don't have a rotten batch of organs.
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Post by Heather on Feb 4, 2009 0:09:21 GMT -5
I'm inclined to agree with Giuli and am going to say that the meat (organ) is too rich for the furchild at this point in time. There are a couple of ways of dealing with it. Giuli mentions feeding less at one sitting, you can also use a probiotic that will help digest the nutrient rich meats. I have a cat that cannot in any way stomach beef heart or liver but he can eat chicken and turkey. He can also eat rabbit offal too. This appears to be a sensitivity to certain protein sources. So in part it's a trial and error thing but you may want to get a probiotic (make sure it's not the powdered stuff they sell for kibbles, it deteriorates as soon as it hits moisture...if you think about it it's rather a waste of money) or go to your local health store and in the refridgerated section you should find the probiotics. You can also try some yogourt or kefir but make sure it's the real stuff, not the yoplait or danone stuff   . ciao |
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Post by spiritualtramp on Feb 4, 2009 9:07:11 GMT -5
Okay, thanks all. I thought maybe Ranger was just pigging out and by cutting down on his portion I've been able to avoid his throwing up, but I wasn't sure in the cat's case, so that is interesting.
In my case, I'm sure the offal isn't spoiled because this has gone on since I switched them, and I've been through many batches of organs, so it'd be a real surprise if every single organ I've ever bought was spoiled.
Heather, thanks for the recommendation, I'm going to look for some next time I'm out - kefir and plain yogurt will probably be easier to find but I'll check for probiotics first!
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Post by mustelidmusk on Feb 8, 2009 10:48:23 GMT -5
My Kachina girl is a little piggy, and if she gets greedy and gulps too much food too fast, she'll barf -   Also, organ meat are rich, so mix them with other lean muscle meat. use smaller piece, food more slowly and feed maller amounts. I personally prefer to feed organ meats daily in correct proportion with other meats to avoid the "overload". BTW - I'd barf too if somebody fed me a raw organ meat OK, my twisted sense of humor is flaring up this morning! -jennifer |
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Post by dearambellina on Feb 8, 2009 20:00:50 GMT -5
I started feeding smaller amounts of organs and so far so good. My oldest cat vomited again today but I think it was from eating too fast.
I started feeding whole mice, do I still have to supplement with other things or are the mice enough as far as amount of organs, etc? My babies eat everything, nothing of the mouse is left behind.
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Post by Heather on Feb 9, 2009 0:04:39 GMT -5
I would feed a small amount of organs anyway. It can't hurt. I consider mice as an entire meal, I don't have to supplement anything. If I feed another meal of something else then I have that balance that I have to work out all over again. I feed organ meat daily. Each day that amount of meat represents another animal...therefore that animal would have organs, bones .... that way I don't have to worry about balance. I just find it easier that way. Just the way I do it ciao |
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Post by spiritualtramp on Feb 11, 2009 19:45:13 GMT -5
BTW - I'd barf too if somebody fed me a raw organ meat -jennifer Sometimes I gag when preparing it hahaha!! |
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Post by monicaexplosion on Feb 16, 2009 1:03:51 GMT -5
oh this thread helps . My little one is throwing up a tad after scarfing down her raw foods. I'm going to cut back on her portions and fix her up a seperate feeding den.
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Post by mustelidmusk on Feb 16, 2009 11:03:16 GMT -5
Here are all the things that I have found that will help a ferret with a sensitive tummy...
1. feed smalller amounts more often.
Overeatng can cause vomiting and/or diarrhea.
(I feed two wet raw meals per day, and I provide freeze-dried raw for between meal munching.)
2. Feed a smaller amount of food one day per week.
One day per week, I feed my ferrets less. Depending on the time of year, I may feed freeze-dried only or one wet meal one day per week. This keeps their appetites up and keeps them from getting picky. . it also encourages them to clean up any freeze-dried they've stashed.
3. Encourage slower eating habits.
I use feeding dens for wet raw and foraging cups for freeze-dried treats.
4. Exercise care when hand-feeding.
If you're hand-feedng duringt the transition or for some other reason, you may find that some ferrets will over-eat when hand fed. Feed a sufficient amount fo a light meal and then allow your ferret to finish the rest of the meal on his own.
5. Feed all meals as a balanced diet. I do not have organ meat days. Instead, I feed organ meats daily in the correct proportion.
6. Limit fats /oils with sensitive ferrets
If your ferret has yucky poops and/or vomits, be sure to watch the qualtity of fats/ and oils fed. Cutting back on fats/oils may help.
7. When feeding an extra rich meal (more oils/fats/organs, I sometimes add some fiber such as ground egg shell.
8. try to identify any speciic irritant in the diet.
keep a food log and notes on the how each of you ferrets does not that food or food combinaton.
9. where posible, try to stic to one food source per meal. For example, when feeding chicken thighs, feed chicke organ meats
10. Increasing variety.
The more I vary the meals, the better digestion becomes.
I've found the above to be helpful for maintaining healthy digestion with my 4 brats.
-jennier
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Post by spiritualtramp on Feb 23, 2009 11:06:34 GMT -5
This is a great list Jennifer, thanks!
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