Allergies and Recommendations
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Monday, January 30, 2017 11:00 PM
Hello! Loki and I are back for a round of advice, if you would be so kind. :)
So, the medical stuff first for people who don't want tl;dr. Loki is allergic to chicken in addition to being a picky eater. So this has created a complication. I have a very short list of foods in kibble form that he can choose from. I have failed my vet-recommended one, which was Royal Canin Hypoallergenic Feline. Loki will not eat a natural diet and he hates wet ingredients, so kibble is the only option. I have pulled the best ones from the current food list and am hoping that he will switch over to one; but if there are any recommendations that someone could make for me besides, that would be so wonderful!
The long of the story is that back in Summer of last year, my now 6 year old ferret Loki had ECE. Someone hadn't washed their hands while playing with ferrets at the pet store and he contracted it, unfortunately. After that, he was very happy and I had semi-recently switched his food to something of higher quality. Which brings us to now. He had been mostly happy on Go! Fit and Free (Chicken/Turkey/Duck) but ever since a few months after his ECE, around December, his poops started to look really bad. This has continued until now. I didn't know why, so I hoped it was a spell. He wasn't showing any other symptoms of anything.
This last month, I noticed Loki becoming exceedingly itchy in addition to the loose, light-colored poop. Frantically. I gave him a bath to see if it would help, but no results. So I assumed the worst, though I should go see about Adrenal, and went to the vet. To my surprise, they found an unsettling mass in his abdomen. I quickly had this checked via ultrasound and a needle aspiration biopsy because I feared the worst of Lymphoma. The results came back that it was indeed a swollen cluster of Lymph nodes, but the expert that had a look at it had noted that with that and the aspiration, there was no Cancerous cells. He noted that it was reactionary. And he recommended a diet change to something that did not include poultry, because he believes that Loki has developed an allergy to chicken. The happy news to this is that of course, no Cancer, but he also said that the view of his Adrenal looks just fine and there is currently nothing to see. I will probably end up treating it anyway soon, since he is older. So don't worry about that!
Bad news for me, because I know what a picky little pickle my ferret is. He is the only ferret I have ever known who hates chicken and eggs unless they are in kibble or processed treat form. He will not eat it. Snubs it completely. I tried from a very young age (3 weeks) and he hated then and he hates it now. The funny story about the food my vet gave us is that not only would he not eat anything that even remotely TOUCHED that food, but when he finally was a good boy and really tried to eat it for me, the poor boy gagged. There is no way he is going to take to it. He tried his best, the little pumpkin. He was starting to lose weight and he literally would not eat it no matter which way I introduced it, so I scratched it from the list. I called my vet today to ask about other options and she recommended that I look for a food he does like. I have since switched his treats to pork and salmon exclusively (which he surprisingly enjoys, he loves the salmon the best) that have no grain or chicken in them. Results so far are as follows.
In addition to having bad poops over the past couple months, I noticed that Loki was maybe not quite as interested in playing. It was a slow progression, so I made sure to rule out old age in my appointment. But the thing about all of this is that as soon as he was off his current food (or wouldn't eat, rather) he stopped itching and was WILD as the day he was born. Literally bouncing off the walls happy and just overall nuts like his normal self. Which makes me think that they hit the nail of the head with his allergy. The change was dramatic and happened within a couple days of his refusal to eat. He is in perfect shape otherwise. Healthy weight, coat, does not have Insulinoma or Adrenal. Unfortunately, I couldn't starve the poor baby, so for today, I have him back on his old food. I have noticed him scratching a little more again, but he is playful. Upside-down in his tunnel asking me to come play as I write this, lol.
I am hoping to find something that he likes. Any advice and recommendations would be so appreciated! My little bum needs a diet change, I think. I would like to find something that he doesn't find gag-worthy (it was kind of hilarious to watch him, I admit) so that he can continue being the happy little guy I know and love. Thanks everyone!