metronidazole

[mindy]

does anyone have a trick for getting this in a ferret so that is stays in? poor mr. fred has to take this for the next 7-14 days and so far it is not going so well last night was the first time and most of it stayed in. this morning was not so good. he was spitting and foaming and gagging it back out. poor guy. i love this big guy sooooo much and i know that he really needs it, but i HATE to have to give him something that makes him feel so bad.

what i have been doing is scuffing him (on my lap, i am not picking him up like that) and putting the syringe in the corner of his mouth and squeezing a little in at a time. then he proceeds to spit it back out and shake his head so it goes everywhere. i am giving him a little lick of ferrotone right after each bit of the meds but it is not really working out.

poor guy. is there anything that i can hide it in? he is not a big fan of any "duck soup" that i have been able to make. i tried chicken only baby food, mushy kibble, a/d canned (which he did like before, but not now) - and all of that was without the meds, who knows what he will do with the meds in it!

thanks guys. mr. fred is sulking in the cage now. i feel horrible for making him sad

[Katie]

Sorry to hear that your little guy is not feeling well and you are having to give him some yucky stuff. I am not much help since we never did figure out how to give Brownie her meds. She really hated them too. All I can do is empathize and keep my fingers crossed for you that you figure something out that works for you and Fred.

[mindy]

thank you

[Tressie]

Unfortunately that is one of the fowlest tasting medications a ferret has to endure.

I find giving something that putrid - there are a few, Baytril is another one, is best to give it quickly and get it over with.

I bring the syringe as far back on the side of the mouth as possible, aim upwards (NOT towards the throat) and squirt it in. Giving it bit by bit prolongs the agony and the taste lingers on the tongue. Whereas getting it in all at once gets it swallowed quickly.

I would also call Dr. Benoit and ask if there is something else he can be given instead. I have done that with medications a particular ferret either spits out or foams at the mouth with or throws up. I've had all of those reactions to yuky medicine. Some ferrets are more fussier than others - however, there is consensus when it comes to Metronidazole.

Dr. Bruce Williams, super famous ferret pathologist has said that if a ferret doesn't have an ulcer before he starts metronidazole, it will give him one because the taste is so awful. I have tasted it myself and the taste lingered in my mouth for hours! It really is bad. There is no way to disguise they can smell it in duck soup miles away. The ferretone should at least replace the taste in the mouth.

Here is the approach I take - okay this is the best medication for this condition BUT are there other medications that may be as good as or almost as good? With a few exceptions - there usually are.

What is he being treated for Mindy?

How much is he getting; and how often? Only the Metronidazole?

Tressie

[mindy]

thank you Tressie.

i will call dr. benoit on monday to switch the meds to biaxin and amoxicillan (sp!!).

thank you for all your help

[purpleferret]

Awwww Mindy, I'm sorry.

[purpleferret]

I'm feeling much better today about my Moe...he finally resigned himself to the duck soup, then discovered that he liked it with pumpkin added..yayyyyy! He ate and cuddled with me tonight. I know he's a nocturnal feeder so I am going to try to get up midway through the night to offer more soft food.

Thanks Tressie for this suggestion....

[mindy]

that is great news, Marian! i am really glad that moe has started eating his duck soup

i decided tonight to make a bunch of mushy kibble (since that is all fred will eat) and freeze it in an ice cube tray. i was planning on adding pumpkin to it too but when i went to get it from the cupboard i couldn't find any. i guess i must have used it for something...who knows what, i sure don't!

[ferretmothertoo]

When I had to give metronidizole I drew the correct amount into the syringe, then drew up a little ferretone and made sure the end of the syringe was coated with it. That way something good tasting went in first. Have an old towel handy and don't wear your good clothes when giving the medicine. As you know ferrets can spit. If it gets on your clothes wash the area immediately with soap and water. Otherwise the ferretone will stain as it is greasy.

[mindy]

thank you. i will try the ferrotone trick with the biaxin when i give it since i am not giving him anymore metronidizole.

[Katie]

A little off topic...what is 100% pumpkin? Is it just as it sounds...and can you just get it at the grocery store? Boo is missing her buddy and I am trying everything to coax her to eat.

[Katie]

Oops...and where can you get the duck soup powder here? I tried ordering it at Pets Unlimited but no luck. So far she has rejected chicken baby food, A/D, carnivore care as well all 3 kibbles she normally likes. We have started syringe feeding a little bit but I would rather her eat on her own...

[mindy]

100% pumpkin is just what it sounds like you can get it is the grocery store. i think that i get the e d smith brand, but you have to be sure that it is 100% pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.

fred is not liking any sort of duck soup right now either. what i am doing now is mixing some kibble with boiling water and letting it get mushy and then mashing it with a potato masher. when it is just lukewarm i put it in a little dish and then put a little ferrotone on top and then he will eat it. this is how i got hermione to eat some as well.

i have never tried duck soup powder. i am sorry i don't know where to find it around here.

good luck getting Boo to eat ((hugs)) it is hard when a ferret loses a friend and i hope that extra cuddles and love from you will help her through it.

[purpleferret]

I think the duck soup is a cat food called a/d in a small tin, that is mixed with 100% pumpkin and warmed with water. My Mo ate it for a day, now he likes the warm mush as Mindy described. His stool is firming up....now it's just to get his intake up. I stopped the melatonin until I can stabilize his food. He hates the taste.

[mindy]

you can actually get something that is called "dook soup" or something to that effect from pet stores. friends of ours got it at pj's pets in toronto when we were all heading up north a few years ago. i have not found it in any stores around here.

[Katie]

Thanks Mindy. I hope Boo gets through this ok too...We got Brownie when Boo was 6 months old and they had only been apart for 1 day until she died 5 years later. I am sure it is quite sad on her part, as well as ours. I hope the cuddles are enough as she does not seem to like the idea of any other ferret. (She never has...)

Good luck with poor Fred. I hope he feels better soon and takes to the medicine (not so dramatically anyways!) It is hard to do what you have to to make them feel better when it is so yucky...you can't exactly explain to them that you really are trying to make them feel better!

[mindy]

i know! it is easier to tell a child that they have to take the yucky medicine because it will make them better. with a ferret you just have to get it in there and hope that they don't hate you too much for it

i know that fred was really sad when fawkes passed and i gave him so many cuddles. the cuddles really helped the both of us i think. lucky for us, fred really enjoys other ferrets so when ginny came to live with us it helped us all. i hope Boo feels better soon

[Melanie]

Hey!

Again, I'm the friend Mindy is talking about... we bought Duk Soup at PJs... it is Marshalls brand and its REALLY good for an ill ferret... we use it as a treat every now and again that way if they do get sick they think they are receiving a treat and not getting something totally new to them... it is in powder form and all you do is mix it with a little warm water.... We also found it here in Newfoundland in a pet store in St. Johns Mindy if you ever need any... its hard to come by though!
Mel