A while ago I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Ian Billinghurst speak.  He
is an Australian vet and one of the people who re-introduced the idea of
feeding raw foods and bones to pets ("Give Your Dog a Bone").  And I say
"re-introduced" because, as someone mentioned in their post a few days
ago, kibble or processed food for pets is a relatively new idea (50
years).  Before that, cats and dogs ate human food or whatever they
caught themselves.
 
Altho' Dr Billinghurst doesn't know too much about ferrets, his talk was
fascinating and got me thinking about some of the things I eat(!) as
well.  I've been feeding my dog, cats and ferrets some raw foods for a
while.  I personally don't see me raising baby chickens, baby rabbits
or baby mice to feed anyone.  However, I do buy some of the frozen raw
foods (Aunt Jenni's, BARF, Steve's) that are available at some pet supply
stores.  I also feed meat and eggs from Whole Foods Market (aka Bread and
Circus, Fresh Fields), which sells free-range/organic eggs/meat.  Some of
the Whole Foods Markets (e.g., Bellingham, Mass.) also sell frozen ground
chicken backs and necks.
 
I also feed prepared foods to my crew (wellness, pet guard, innova,
superior choice natural, etc) along with raw foods and fish.  I believe a
variety of food is important.  Makes it easier for me to alternate, and I
don't expect my petsitter to be dealing with raw meat the weekends I'm
away.
 
Do my animals take to raw meat?  My dog goes nuts (which doesn't count
because she'll eat anything); the cats also love it; and the ferrets have
mixed reactions.  I usually put some chicken baby food in it to get the
ferrets to eat it.  I also give them canned cat food on a regular basis.
Most of my ferrets are older, but I'm hopeful that my next round of
fuzzies will be healthier if I can get them started on some raw foods
earlier.
 
I'm always interested in hearing what herbs or homeopathic remedies
people have found helpful for ferrets.  Right now the only herb I'm using
with ferrets is saw palmetto, recommended by my vet.  I take several
herbs as medicine myself and I also find homeopathy incredibly helpful
for me.  There is a wealth of info for people, cats and dogs, but not as
much for ferrets.  I hope that changes.
 
The most common bach flower essence is rescue remedy, which I believe is
pretty widely used (for stress or trauma).  I also use star of bethlehem
when someone dies, both for me and my animals.  Using a flower essence
would be like a friend holding your hand while you grieve, but not
telling you to forget about the loss.  (Not sure if that comparison is
helpful, but I think there is some confusion about flower essences).
Using flower essences is different than taking herbal remedies; lots of
info available on the internet.
 
I also occasionally use western medicine for my animals and for myself.
I like to take an eclectic approach and try to use what helps most and
harms least.
 
So that's my 2 cents.  Am I an expert on any of this?  Not at all.  But
I love my animals I'm tired of watching most of my ferrets come down
with the same serious (and expensive) illnesses and being told that it's
normal.  It isn't, and I'm open to learning better ways to take care of
them.  I also know how much better I feel when I'm eating good fresh
food.
 
Ronnie
[Posted in FML issue 4164]