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Post by katt on Oct 17, 2010 20:13:31 GMT -5
haha I am pretty Type A and No, I am not a very patient person! I am persistent though! Blah I just want my little buddy to feel ok.
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Post by Heather on Oct 17, 2010 20:30:48 GMT -5
I know you want Koda to feel better. I wish with all my heart that there was some sort of miracle cure that you just had to give him a pill and all the crampy stomachs and loose stools would go away. We have limited knowledge for humans, we certainly are fencing windmills when it comes to treating ferrets with IBD. I could lie to you and say that give it time and everything will be alright, but I don't lie to anyone. Keep trying, you will find that sometimes are better than others. You will learn what some of his triggers are, but not all of them. IBD is one of the most frustrating diseases. The damage is real but the cure isn't You're an awesome ferrant, you are trying to find ways that will help him live a more comfortable life with this disease. ciao
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Post by mustelidmusk on Oct 18, 2010 9:17:58 GMT -5
I can't remember if I answered this...major distraction when posting last night, and I can't remember if I finished the message (PM).
Yes, you can switch Koda to a different meat source. I recommend that you do this by slowly adding a bit of the new meat and increasing this over time..... you may want to phase out the pork to see how Koda does on the new meat. Remember, not all IBD i allergy-related. Also, once his system is super riled up, it may tale immune system suppression (pred) to stabilize him before anything does well in his tummy. So, we may be trying various things for a while. This is normal with the IBD thing.
-jennifer
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Post by katt on Oct 20, 2010 3:03:11 GMT -5
I mixed some ground lamb into his pork today. He has never eaten lamb so I mixed it up together but he still picked the pork out little brat. Lmao he had some more bad pools I think I will schedule a blood panel soon. His poop looked like he ate chocolate ( I've unfortunately seen chocolate poop" pics to come I'm using my phone bc My Internet is Down
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Post by mustelidmusk on Oct 20, 2010 9:40:44 GMT -5
Koda's IBD may not be related to any particular food. OR....it may be that the "switch " to a different meat may be different for him. OR, I have another idea of something to try that helps SOME people..... Some people do better on low sulfur diets. I've been looking for a single source of info that lists the sulfur contents (or precursors to sulfur) of various meats. Single source info. is required to ensure all evaluations are consistently done. My next step is to see what the FDA has on a "per meat source" basis. I'm so sick of long work hours I could just puke . I should not complain because I have a pay check. But the stress is getting to me . I really need to shut up and just "grow a pair" -jennifer
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Post by katt on Oct 21, 2010 4:41:44 GMT -5
Just wanted to update. He ate some of the lamb and had a really good poop. I can't tell though if he had lamb, pork, or mice bc apparently he hid the mace to let them age a bit before eating them. Gross. lol
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Post by mustelidmusk on Oct 21, 2010 9:44:38 GMT -5
Don't you just love it when your sweet little baby that loves to give kisses (on the mouth) does something really gross??? . A good poop is always a good thing. Stick with the lamb, pork and mouse. you can continue to phase out the pork just to see how well he does on lamb alone. It's possible that the combo of pork and lamb works better than one of the other. Organ meats can produce icky poops. so you may find it works best to feed a little bit of organ daily rather than having an organ day. Keep that log! -jennifer
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Post by katt on Oct 21, 2010 22:39:02 GMT -5
Nothing but lamb today and ha had 2 good poops (one really good and one decent). Yaaay! Too bad it is hard to find lamb here and it is pretty expensive. I bet I could order Stella and Chewey's though and get organs and stuff to.
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Post by katt on Oct 21, 2010 22:45:06 GMT -5
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Post by Heather on Oct 21, 2010 23:12:16 GMT -5
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Post by katt on Oct 22, 2010 3:49:42 GMT -5
I just wish that they were open now! I hate waiting! lmao Ok so I have some diet questions regarding Stella and Chewey's products, and IBD. If they work out, they will probably become a relatively regular part of his diet. So, looking at the lamb... www.stellaandchewys.com/frozenduck.html"Ingredients: Lamb, lamb spleen, lamb liver, ground lamb bone, lamb heart, lamb kidney, pumpkin seed, organic cranberries, organic spinach, organic broccoli, organic beets, organic carrots, organic squash, organic apples, organic blueberries, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, direct-fed microorganisms (Pediococcus acidilactici, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium longum, Enterococcus faecium), magnesium oxide, natural tocopherols, vitamin E supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, vitamin D3 supplement." That is a Lot of ingredients that are not strictly from an animal source. The whole idea behind feeding raw is to NOT feed fillers and other junk. So I don't know what to think about the pumpkin seed, cranberries, spinach, broccoli, beets, carrots, squash, apples, blueberries...ESPECIALLY the fruits...ferrets are NOT supposed to have fruits and veggies other than a tiny tiny bit from their prey's stomach. It makes me uneasy seeing that many fruits in the ingredient list. What do you guys think about it? The LAST thing I need is for Koda to develop insulinoma! The ingredient list for the other items is similar. Is it ok to give him this stuff on a regular basis? I feel really hesitant about that with all of that stuff in it. Thoughts? Oh an I forgot to add - to Jennifer - I have never done an "Organ day." Instead when I stock up my freezer I randomly assign the organs to the baggies so that he gets organs in smaller amounts several times throughout the week.
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Post by katt on Oct 22, 2010 4:10:02 GMT -5
Oh and looking at the frozen vs freeze dired, which is healthier? Frozen: www.stellaandchewys.com/frozenlamb.htmlGuaranteed Analysis: crude protein min 13.0% crude fat min 11.0% crude fiber max 2.0% moisture max 70.0% Calorie Content: 2,073 kcal/kg (calculated); 85 kcal per small patty, 470 kcal per large patty Formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages. Freeze Dried: www.stellaandchewys.com/driedlamb.htmlGuaranteed Analysis: crude protein min 37.0% crude fat min 35.0% crude fiber max 4.0% moisture max 5.0% Calorie Content: 5,628 kcal/kg (calculated); 75 kcal per patty Formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages. Why is there such a difference in the protein and fat content? And fiber? Moisture is obvious. lol
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Post by rarnold18 on Oct 22, 2010 5:38:39 GMT -5
Do you by any chance have a discount grocery store near you like an Aldi's, Bravo, or Save-a-lot? Some times the more discount style grocery store will have the "weirder" meats...I hate to say weird but no adays you say meat and it's automatically thought to either be beef, chicken, turkey or pork... one of the members here found quail, rabbit and something else at her local Save-a-lots... also you might want to check different ethnic grocery stores, if you have any in your area, they might carry different meats too...for instance a grocery store catering to a Greek population will most likely have goat... just a thought
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Post by mustelidmusk on Oct 22, 2010 9:03:46 GMT -5
This is wonderful news!!!!!! Don't worry about the veggies...it's a fiber replacement. The thing that's really bad in kibble is that the stuff is a biscuit made of starchy grain flours. Denver has a Purina processing plant. It stinks like bread with that kibble stench. There's also a wonderbread plant in Denver. Purina smells like a bread factory with bad smalls in it. Also, it's untrue that ferrets do not eat fruit. Upon occassion, wild ferts will eat berries/plant matter. Cranberries have very little sugar (until they make the for people). Apples ar great for fiber My brats have been eating freeze-dried raw with all those berries, carrots, etc from commercial foods, and their blood work is fine at 5.5 years of age. A lot of the veggies don't get digested anyway. (more like bone bits/non-digestibleS) The frozen is MUCH more nutrious than the feeze-dried according to my holistic vet. Water ontent can be as high as 70 percent. (the body i suppoed to be something like 90% water. this explains the difference between the nutritional analysis. I always recommend lamb first for IBD ferrets. It tends to be well-tolerated by IBD ferts. Plus, once ferret develop a taste for lamb, the lamb tends to become a favorite. It has a lot of Taurine too. One thing that is VERY GOOD about the commercial products is that they provide single-source meat products. In theory, it's best tp provide meat organ and bone all from the same source since it's more of a "whole food". While I'm not sure that this is super important, I do beleive getting bone/organs from different animal sources is important. This can be difficult to do if you buy meat/organ/bone from the supermarket unless you can grind the larger bones. You DO know the reason why ferrets do well on lamb....they like to spend their mommy's money Actually, the Stella and Chewy's lambis probably cheaper than buying lamb in the average grocery store. nother good meat to try for Koda would be rabbit since it's closer to a mouse. That store near by may contain a rabbit product. If so, let me know what brand(s) they have before you buy. -jennifer
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Post by katt on Oct 22, 2010 12:44:40 GMT -5
Ok, so I don't need to worry about the sugars? Even from the blueberries and apple? I will take a look at what they have in there and make a list. I kind of want to eventually get some of the Stella and Chewey's Duck Duck Goose too to put a little fat on Koda. He has lost weight and it doesn't seem to me that he is putting it back on yet. Someone told me that there is a pet section in this natural foods store near me as well so if I have time I will check that out too.
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