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Post by curtinfbi on Dec 22, 2010 10:26:37 GMT -5
Hello fellow ferret lovers, my name is Gina. I have been a ferret owner for 6 years now and by far this year has been the hardest. I had to put three of my little loved ones to sleep within the past six months because of 1. a tumor on the heart (Billy, RIP 3/2010); 2. a broken heart because Billy wasn't there or because I was blinded by the serious symptoms of insulnoma (Princess Pooh Bear, RIP 3/2010); and 3. insulnoma (Tigger 8/2010). After my first two loves went to ferret heaven my husband and I decided to foster two other ferrets from GCFA, Tapioca and Mooch, to hang out with our other three ferrets Tigger, Buddy and Piglet. They were such a great fit with our ferrets (although not right at the beginning). In August of this year Tigger was doing great and within 3 days she completely stopped eating, drinking, taking her medicine and playing. We finally came to the horrible decision of putting her to sleep. Only two days later I took Tapioca to the vet because she had horrible swelling and bruising in her belly. Just when the vet was ready to bring her out to me to take her home, she decided to call me into a room and told me Tapioca died right in her arms. I must tell you, the tears just flowed for a few days after and even still till this day. All three of my remaining ferrets have insulnoma and have been on pred for quite some time now. After joining a ferret forum a few months ago and reading many of the posts, I have come to the conclusion that I want to change the diet of my ferrets. I want to help them build strength and maybe even decrease the little cancer nodules in their bodies. Have been feeding them Marshall's ever since the beginning but would love to switch them to raw commercial food. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.
Gina
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Post by jacksmomma on Dec 22, 2010 11:45:33 GMT -5
Welcome Gina. I'm sooo sorry this year has been so rough on you and your loved ones. Hopefully with the new year (and a diet change for the better) you will find your babies in better health. I too sought out a diet change when one of mine became seriously ill. Vets do not put an emphasis on proper nutrition and our babies suffer for it. I use commercial raw as a staple in my boys' diets and they have been doing really, really well. In my area, I can buy two commercial raws - nature's variety and Primal (cat formulations). Nature's Variety has 5% vegetable matter in it whereas Primal only has 1%, so I always use Primal unless they are out of stock, then NV is acceptable to me. I also order the bone/organ/meat ground mixes from Haretoday - Duck and rabbit are favorites, whereas goat and the whole quail go untouched. I recommend before you take the plunge that you read through a few of the switching threads and possibly enroll with a mentor who can guide you better since you will be working with insulinomic ferrets. I know these guys need constant small meals to maintain their blood sugar levels. Heather will probably pop in at some point and have great advice for you - she always does.
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Post by rarnold18 on Dec 22, 2010 17:43:16 GMT -5
Hi and Welcome to the group Gina! I'm so very sorry that this year has been a hard one, I know how you feel as it's been hard here too...In Jan my 18 year old Chihuahua Lola had a stroke and passed, in the spring my rescue Thor a pretty little sable boy passed, and in August I lost my dear baby Jasmine from lymphoma.  I love what switching to raw has done for all of my furbabies both dogs and ferrets, and wouldn't ever go back to feeding them kibble. Check out the nutrition section for info about the what's howmuch, where's and when's of raw.. Our Heath/ Medical section is great for looking up info on different treatments... Everyone here is awesome and questions get answered pretty fast |
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 22, 2010 18:55:43 GMT -5
Hi, and welcome to the forum  Wow, losing 3 in 6 months would be so hard. I've been fortunate so far, and haven't lost any as of yet, although I know that day will come And yes, a raw diet will definitely help build up the reserves for your little ones who are already ill, and hopefully help lessen/prevent insulinoma in future babies. That's the reason I switched mine. After reading about illnesses, talking to a vet, and deciding carbs really weren't doing them any good, they were all switched Please, feel free to post, ask questions, join conversations, etc! Check out the nutrition section, as well as the archives. Lots of good info there. Kudos to you for fostering. We failed at it(adopted)  Oh- and please, post pictures!!!!! |
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Post by Heather on Dec 23, 2010 0:44:09 GMT -5
Hi and welcome to the forum Gina Please accept my heartfelt condolences on the loss of your little ones. Three in so many months is like a dark hole that swallows you up whole. I remember spending a winter where it felt that every time I turned, another of my furbabies passed on. In total I buried 6 little ones that year. Lymphosarcomas was the biggest killer that year. I think the hardest part about that year was that these were younger ferrets, their deaths weren't expected and they shouldn't have passed on at such young ages. I have much older ones. I have a little girl right now who is insulinoma, she's my first physical dealing with the disease. I've helped other students switch their insulinomic ferrets to raw but I had never had to physically deal with that horrible disease on this level. Many were able to switch their little ones but had to keep kibbles in the cage at all times. Their little ones reaped the many rewards of raw (softer coats, better digestion, less stool, better hydration) so well worth the work to do the switch  Raw food isn't a cure, but it can improve their quality of life with the time they have left. I hope that I will be seeing you around, and that you will post pics of your little ones ciao |
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Post by curtinfbi on Dec 30, 2010 16:32:09 GMT -5
Thank you everyone for your help. Sorry for the delay in replying but have been extremely busy at work and this has been the first time I was able to login. I actually had four that passed away this year but we put three of them to sleep. My only remaining girl is slowly getting worse and I hope with using your suggestions and swithing to raw food it will increase her strength and energy. It is very interesting that the vet only promotes surgery and medicine but never discusses switching their diet. I'm sure its just because they want money and have a deal going on the side with pharmaceutical companies and enforce the need to take medicine instead of healthier alternatives. I will try to post pictures of my babies if I have a chance to login at home. They are my little children and I cherish all the time I spend with them. Most people do not understand my love and devotion for them. They just say, "why would you spend that much money and energy on them" but I don't even think of it as being that way; they are my babies. Thats why I'm so glad I found a forum with others that feel the same way I do. I hope everyone has a great New Years and I will check back at the beginning of the year.
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 30, 2010 20:24:14 GMT -5
We're looking forward to seeing you regularly |
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Post by Heather on Dec 31, 2010 0:01:17 GMT -5
I hope that we will be seeing you in the new year
ciao
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Post by bluemoose on Dec 31, 2010 1:43:19 GMT -5
It is very interesting that the vet only promotes surgery and medicine but never discusses switching their diet. I'm sure its just because they want money and have a deal going on the side with pharmaceutical companies and enforce the need to take medicine instead of healthier alternatives. I don't think that's true for all vets. Many vets don't get a lot of education in nutrition and often what they do get is sponsored by kibble companies so some of them honestly don't know better. They've been told that raw meat is dangerous for animals and doesn't have the "perfectly balanced nutrition" of kibble. So while not all vets are evil and money grubbing, a surprising number of them are ignorant when it comes to nutrition. Recently though many vets are catching onto the idea of feeding pets more naturally and some of them are even converted in their views when they see the excellent health of their raw fed patients. |
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Post by sherrylynne on Dec 31, 2010 3:10:34 GMT -5
To the best of my understanding, most vets get maybe 8 hours of "nutrition" in their extensive training. And that is sponsored, and taught, by the pet food companies. So I'm not too surprised that your vet never mentioned diet at all. For me, my vet has readily admitted that I know more about cat and ferret diets than she does |
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