Feeding the Ferret: The Bad

     These foods are considered bad foods because they aren’t part of a ferret’s natural diet. Given in moderation they won’t kill a ferret.

     Ferrets are like small children in that everything goes into their mouths and need to be monitored about what goes into their little mouths.

     Ferrets are determined little animals and will demand what you are eating just because they see it going into your mouth.

Dairy Products:

     Ferrets are lactose intolerant meaning that any milk-based product is going to give them diarrhea. Although you can give them a baby spoon taste of what you are eating.

     By using a baby spoon accomplishes two things. It allows you to control how much a ferret is getting and it teaches them that if it is on the spoon they are allowed a taste.

     It should be noted here and will be again in the next post. Chocolate should never be given to a ferret or any other animal, as it is toxic to ALL animals.

Fruit and Vegetables:

     Ferrets lack a cecum (1) to process fruits and vegetables. They gain no nutritional value out of these items and are hard to digest. Knowing this you can allow a ferret a taste occasionally but no more than once or twice a month. There are exceptions of course.

     Raisins can be given but no more than ten a day and be sure they are being eaten and not stashed away for later.

     Baby carrots cut lengthwise and into thin strips. My boys like to chew on them until they are mushy then they are done with them.

     Celery cut into the size of baby carrots and cut the same way. Removing as much of the stringy part as you can.

     Strawberries only a small bite.

Nuts and Grains:

     Cheerios out of the box and only 10 a day. You can alternate this with raisins. Again, be sure they are actually eating them.

     Bread either can be out of the wrapper or toasted. Only a nibble now and then otherwise a ferret will try to eat your sandwich out of your hand.

     Peanut Butter no more than once a month and use the baby spoon leveled off. Peanut Butter is a good emergency laxative if you are out ferret lax.

Optional:

     These treats are made for animals but not for ferrets.

     Treats for cats: These include Pounce®, Greenies for Cats® pretty much any of the hard cat treats. If the serving says, five pieces a day only give one or two to a ferret.

     There are treats on the market for ferrets and are reasonable in price but I have found that not all ferrets share the same tastes and will turn their noses up at treats designed for them.

     Have lived with eight ferrets at one time you find that they can be demanding and will keep after something until either it is out of their sight or you let them have some.

     Galahad was a prime example of this. He loved coffee and would hunt down my coffee cup so he could have a drink. After losing three keyboards to ferret spilled coffee, I bought a doll’s tea set and gave him one of the cups.

     I would fill his cup with a small amount of my coffee. This did two things it kept him off my desk an away from my coffee and it allowed him to have some. He also knew that he only got one cup a day and would bring me his cup when he was ready for it.

     I don’t recommend giving ferrets coffee but I wanted to illustrate just how persistent they can be and one of the solutions I came up with.

     The last post in this series will cover the foods you should never give a ferret and the reasons why.

     I hope you have found these first two posts informational. Any feedback, comment, links to other blogs is encouraged and welcomed.

Jo

     1. Cecum or caecum comes from the Latin caecus meaning blind. It is a pouch that connects the ileum with the ascending colon of the large intestines. Herbivores have a relatively large cecum that host bacteria that helps to break down plant materials. 

     Obligatory carnivores whose diet contains little or no plant material have a reduced cecum that is either partially or completely replaced by the vermiform appendix(2) http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecum

     2.Vermiform appendix is a blind-ended tube connected to the cecum. Vermiform comes from Latin and means worm-shaped. http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veriform_appendix

Thoughts

     11:30pm December 31, 2009 I sit here with my glass of champagne waiting for the clock to strike midnight. I think about the year we are leaving and what it meant to me. It was a year of good and bad. I lost my beloved Galahad to Adrenal disease and watched my son graduate from high school. I was unemployed for most of 2009 and was able to work on my writing. I received rejection letters and started this blog.

     Many of us have goals for the coming year. Some we have shared and many we haven’t. I know that one of my main goals is to work on this blog and improve my writing along the way. There are other goals but they are for things only in the beginning stages.

     I awoke to more snow today leaving the world a blank page to create something beautiful. I took some pictures of the bloodhound making dogging angels and Lance and James snorkeling in the snow. Gweny couldn't play in the snow because she doesn't have the fur to keep her from getting frostbite.

     While I am not sure of the direction, I am going to take this blog I do know that I want to keep people informed about my three little fur children and their antics.

     I will be keeping up with the plight of the Black-footed ferret and those that are helping to reintroduce it back into its original habitats. December saw Canada releasing thirty plus Black-footed Ferrets back into the wild.

     I look towards the coming year and all the hidden treasures it holds for those willing to take the chance and plunge into it with a child like gusto. I suppose it’s more like the curiosity of a ferret for me. I need to know the hows and whys of things. This can lead me to finding out so much information that I have to step back from it so what is important floats to the top and the rest is washed away.

Happy New Year

May 2010 be the year for us all.

Jo

Adrenal Disease

Warning some pictures on this post show graphic details of adrenal surgery and of ferrets with the disease.

 

     Adrenal disease is seen often as high as 70% in ferrets on average over the age of 3 years old and most being female.

     There are a number of different beliefs in what causes this devastating disease. Ranging from household light to a ferret’s diet but there is no concrete proof as to what does cause it.

     Adrenal disease affects the adrenal glands. These are two small glands that sit on top of the kidneys. 

     The yellow marks the right and left adrenal glands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

     The adrenal glands consists of two parts, the internal medulla and the outer cortex. Each part does something differently.

     The internal medulla is responsible for producing adrenaline and noradrenaline. The cortex produces three types of hormones: Glucocorticoids, mineralcorticoids, and androgens.

     Glucocorticoids include hydrocortisone, cortisone, and cortisterone, which causes the liver to increase glycogen levels raising blood sugar levels and also acts like anti-inflammatory agents. Some ferrets with adrenal disease display an increase in activity and are very energetic.

     Mineralcorticoids are regulate the salt and water in the blood and extracellular tissues. If these are out of balance then there is the possibility of electrolyte or fluid imbalances. These can affect different parts of the body including cardiac to urinary.  A lot of ferrets with adrenal tumors become very thirsty and have increased urination.

     Androgens include androsterone and testosterone promoting male characteristics and are necessary for the maintenance of muscle mass. Estrogen masks this in most females until it is depleted will show more aggressive behavior. Neutered ferrets will show sexual behavior and traits.

     Adrenaline and Noradrenaline are powerful hormones that increase blood sugar levels. Slow down the bowels, and increase blood pressure, heart, and metabolic rates, preparing a ferret for action.

     Noradrenaline is similar to adrenaline but is not as immediately powerful or as long lasting. This is the one that causes the buzz when the fight or flight reflex kicks in.

     Some of the first noticeable symptoms are hair loss , due to elevated corticosteroids, around the base of the tail. Changes in behavior. In females the vulva swells. An increase in body heat and uncontrolled blood sugars. Symptoms very from ferret to ferret and depending on what part of the gland is affected are not seen until it is too late to do much but make the ferret comfortable.

     Most adrenal disease in ferrets is due to tumors in the adrenal glands. Surgery can be preformed to remove the affected gland.(adrenalectomies)

     The left adreanal gland is larger to see and therefore easier to remove. (this is a picture of healthy adrenal glands)

     The right adrenal gland is attached to the vena cava, the largest vain in the body, making it difficult to remove all of the tumor and can lead to postoperative bleeding. (abnormal left adrenal: picture is enlarged to show detail)

     New techniques are being tried in the removal of the right adrenal gland. One of these is the use of cryosurgery, the freezing of tissues using liquid nitrogen.

     Cryosurgery has been used on/in humans for decades with great results and is now being used by veterinary surgeons in the removal of adrenal glands in ferrets. One vet in Miami, Dr. Charles Weiss, has performed this type of surgery on 35 ferrets with excellent results.

     My Galihad had adrenal disease and was already at end stage when he was diagnosed. Surgery was not an option for him at that point.

     Watching him loose his beautiful chocolate coat was the most difficult part before the last 2 days when his weight dropped from a healthy 3 pounds to a pound. 

     Not once did he let this disease run his life. He was active and happy up to the end when he went to bed for the night and didn’t rise in the morning this last April.

     Because of Galihad I know what to look for and how to deal with this horrible disease that no prevention nor real cure.

Jo