#journal notes

MOD INFO:

Mod @yourfriendslushi3

Same rules as other accounts.

Basic DNI, satanists

I know yall would probably hate her since she’s conservative but shes my fave ensemble character because LOOK AT THAT FASHION.. PLUS RNT YOUNG REPUBLICANETTES TYPICALLY UNDERSTUDY HEATHER DUKES

MOLLY (YOUNG REPUBLICANETTE) CHARACTERIZATION + HEADCANONS:

2014 OFF BWAY YOUNG REPUBLICANETTE

Named Molly Werner.

She/Her

She loves theme parks!

If RIDE THE CYCLONE existed during their time, she would’ve LOVED Ocean.

Her favorite drink is cherry cola.

Student council

Despite being a student council member, she often is one of the most drunk people at parties

Writes down notes in a journal 24/7 about improving the student council thing

Has a pet bird named Charlie

AroAce but if she ever had a crush she would be Lesbian (so an oriented lesbian aroace)

LOVES Madonna and Devo music

SHIPS

you can ship her with anygal tbh, however i do ship her with 2014 new wave party girl a lot more if it’s any ship au

TAGS

The Vending Machine’s Broken? - Ask response

I Think Kisses Taste Like Cherry - SHIP UNIVERSE WITH NEW WAVE PARTY GIRL

I Think Kisses Taste Like Cherry ([character name] Edition) - SHIP AU THAT DOESN’T SHIP WITH NEW WAVE PARTY GIRL

Licorice Laws - General Posting

Journal Notes - General Writing

Monitoring The Halls - Student Council related posts

Obligate carnivore; dentition and GI tract adapted to carnivorous diet

European polecats feed on birds and other small vertebrates 

Anatomy and Phys

Very short GI tract and lack cecum and ileocolic valve; simple tube from stomach to rectum

Small intestine 5x longer than ferret’s body (compared to 8-10x length in cat)

3hr GI transit time, 1hr in kits

Inefficient absorption of nutrients 

Lower concentrations of some brush border enzymes like lactase

Spontaneous secretion of HCl; may store food and eat small amounts at frequent intervals rather than gorging

Large intestine is 10cm long in adult male

Do not fast for more than 3hr pre surgery

4-6hr fast can reduce gut content as much as overnight fasting in cats and dogs

Ferrets with insulinomas can become severely hypoglycemic after more than 1-2hrs of fasting

If necessary to fast ferret w/ insulinoma keep feeding low-vol supplements like Nutri-Cal

Lack usual anaerobic gut flora found in other mammals

Flora present does play some role but treatment with abx doesn’t usually cause GI upset

Dentition

I3/3 C1/1 P3/3 M1/2 = 34

Exaggeration of carnassial teeth 

Loss of grinding function in molars--used more for crushing bones

Overlapping and interdigitation of mandibular arcade by maxillary arcade to prevent lateral movement of mandibles. Prevents grinding motion but allows for shearing

Canine teeth form tight interlock when mouth is closed

Concerns that shift from whole-prey diet to dry kibble could have deleterious impact on dental adaptations

Kibble reduces dental calculus but may cause structural changes to the tooth--excessive wear of tooth and may cause fractures. Dentition not suited to grinding kibble.

Ferrets previously fed mink diet but prefer chicken flavor over fish

Whole-prey or freeze dried raw diet may actually be more appropriate; chicks, mice, rats. At least as occasional treat. 

Most cat food not appropriate for any ferret life stages, but some premium foods were used successfully in trials

Require high protein + fat and low fiber; main source of calories should be fat

15-30% fat sufficient, up to 40% has been fed without incident

Most ferrets can free feed without becoming pathologically obese unless fed fatty treats

Tend to inc food intake by at least 30% in winter and gain great deal of weight--considered normal

If fed ad lib ferrets will eat up to 10 meals/day

Dec food intake as daylight inc

Ferrets require higher protein than most animals--30-35% composed of meat sources

Kits need at least 30% protein--conception rate, litter size, survivability of breeding ferrets inc with protein levels 35-40%

Proportion of carbs higher in grain based diets as compared to meat based

Natural source of carbs for mustelids is prey gut content 

Cats can tolerate up to 40% carbs in diet and ferrets have an even shorter GI tract

Inc fiber diets in ferrets causes a relative protein-calorie deficiency in ferrets--cannot eat enough low-density food to meet their maintenance requirements

Cereals are not digestible, fruits and veggies provide minimal nutritional benefit

Ferrets prefer fructose over other sugars, did not respond to artificial sweeteners 

Nutritional requirements

No diet trials have been done in ferrets

Daily estimated DER 200-300kcal per day per kg of body weight

Premium cat foods, ferret foods, mink foods of similar analysis and quality/ingredients are expected to provide adequate nutrition for a breeding ferret and more than enough for a pet

Palatability is a concern--most ferrets will not tolerate a mink diet

Diets with carb % = or > than protein % were assoc with urolithiasis and poor reproductive performance

Many gaps in our knowledge of specific requirements for ferrets, esp amino acids

Physical condition suffers when <30% protein

Taurine levels recommended at feline levels; some ferrets with DCM showed clinical improvement when supplemented with taurine

Assumed that arachidonic acid is and EFA for ferrets--only in animal tissue

Fish oil is good source of arachidonic acid, meat based diets not usually deficient in this or taurine

Minerals and vitamins

Little research on ferrets but extensive research on mink, assume requirements are similar

Ca:P should be at least 1:1; milk and meat meal with bone is well balanced Ca:P but muscle meat, liver, grains are low in Ca

Diet of exclusively meat leads to Ca deficiency

Ferrets on high quality cat food or ferret foods do not show mineral deficiencies unless persistently fed supplement/meds that unbalance diet

Oversupplementation of vitamin A has occurred in exclusively liver diets

Vitamin E added to commercial diets; deficiencies unlikely 

Able to convert betacarotene to vit A but not very efficiently so diets should contain vit A

Study that used ferrets as a model for lung cancer found that addition of betacarotene, vitamin E, and vitamin C blocked formation of preneoplastic lesions and lung cancer tumor formation

Commercial diets generally have adequate Ca:P ratios and vit D

Thiamine in commercial diets is adequate; a diet of raw eggs may predispose to thiamine deficiency

Vitamin B12 deficiency has not been reported

Other vitamins appear to be adequate in commercial diets 

Water requirements are ~3x as much water as dry matter food; prefer to drink from a dish

Selecting a complete diet

Form strong preferences 

Maintenance diet should be 30-35% CP, 15-30% fat

Meat, poultry, meat/poultry by products or meals should be first in list of ingredients

Some premium cat foods can be satisfactory but most are not. DO NOT FEED DOG FOOD

Low-cost grocery store diets have been linked with health issues

Metabolism of cereal protein alkalinizes urine-->struvite formation (urine pH should be <6.5). 5-10% of lactating jills fed diets high in cereal proteins had uroliths

Poor diet in young ferrets leads to immune dysfunction

Juveniles on low quality cat food predisposed to Helicobacter

Osteodystrophia fibrosa is mainly caused by feeding all meat diet with no Ca; noted in cases where commercial diets are not being fed

Zinc toxicity reported in ferrets exposed to galvanized feeding pans and water dishes

Young ferrets imprint on food by smell at a very young age; expose them to a variety of food tastes, textures, smells, and protein sources as early as possible

Ferrets on balanced kibble diet do not need supplementation

Feeding large amounts of coat conditioners with linoleic acid and other fatty acids can cause reduction in intake of balanced diet

1stp of Ferretone/day can dec intake for a healthy jill by ~40kcal (20% of caloric requirement per day). If on balanced diet, will probably only cause weight gain, but if on poor diet, can lead to deficiencies 

Supplements should be limited to no more than 10% of daily caloric intake

Good treats: soft-moist meat or liver snacks, baby meats with no carbs, egg yolk, whole cooked egg, small amounts of raw meat or liver

Growth: kits fed generic cat foods exclusively have poor haircoats, distended abdomens, greater susceptibility to resp and digestive diseases. Meat based dry diet of at least 35% protein and 20% fat should be constantly available

Reproduction: Raising protein >35% improves conception rates

Lactation: ferret milk is ~10-20% fat

Weaning occurs starting around 5 weeks

Kits left with the dam until 6 weeks grow faster than early weaned kits

Sick ferrets: Dook soup, Carnivore Care, Emeraid Carnivore. Can use as sole diet for 24hr then slowly introduce chicken baby food and Nutri-Cal for the next 24-48hr, then gradually mix in soaked, ground regular diet

Insulinomas: Repeated episodes of severe hypoglycemia cause permanent brain damage. Want to minimize occurrence of clinical hypoglycemia

Ferrets that appear to be unresponsive generally will lick and swallow glucose, 50% dextrose, or Nutri-Cal place on lips or gums for rapid recovery

Nutri-Cal is better than corn syrup alone because it also has fat which is absorbed and metabolized slowly to help maintain glucose at steady level and prevent rebound hypoglycemia

Should have constant access to food and encouraged to eat at least every 2-4hr

Avoid treats high in simple sugars (raisins, peanut butter, etc)

Geriatric (>3yr)

Some suggestions for lower protein diets but no real evidence for nephritis

Ferret kits: Puppy/kitten milk replacer enriched with cream until fat content is 20% (3 parts puppy milk replacer to 1 part whipping cream)

Start with 0.5mL/feed and inc to 1mL/feed by 1 week

Can introduce soft foods at 3-4wk

Feed every 2-4 hours and gradually inc interval between

Eyes open at 3-4wk and can learn to drink from dish

Stimulate to urinate and defecate up to 3wk

IBD: Speculation that it is associated with current diets but no hard evidence