Bob C writes:
>But Linda was right; rereading my post, I realize it could be
>misinterpreted as saying I was against ANY force feeding.  Thanks,
>Linda, for pointing that out, because it was not my intention.
 
Yes that was my concern, but with your clarifications today, I see we are
not so much in disagreement--Darn!  I especially appreciate your warnings
on overly watering down food supplements and not forcing a struggling
ferret.  Sometimes you just have to do a few drops at a time til they get
used to it.
 
And on a somewhat related note, many people add chromium or brewer's yeast
(which is high in chromium) to duck soup recipes, especially those for
insulinomic ferrets.  The belief is that the chromium helps stabilize blood
sugar levels.
 
But recent discussions on the FAIML have led two vets on that list (Dr.
Karen Purcell and Dr. Jerry Murray) to recommend AGAINST the use of
chromium.  Their research of the literature shows only that it lowers
blood sugar levels, fine for diabetics, but NOT for insulinomic ferrets.
 
Just another example of the vaguaries and contradictions of ferret health
care. Sigh...
 
Linda Iroff
Oberlin OH
[Posted in FML issue 3029]