When you feed ferrets kibble on a long-term basis, the body adapts to the
carbohydrates it contains and the body energy scale tips to primarily
using glucose for energy.  When you start feeding a high protein,
moderate fat food, roughly about half of the energy the ferret uses comes
from fat.  This is because while mammals use ketones from fat for energy,
they max out at about the 50% level.  The catch is, it takes mammals
about two weeks to make the shift from glucose to ketones once they have
been on carbohydrates for a long time.  When your ferret gets sick and
you suddenly cut out the carbohydrates and substitute fat and protein,
you may actually be stressing your ferret by forcing them to utilize
stored body blood sugar reserves while switching from glucose to ketones
for energy.  The honey and Nutri-Cal in the BCG helps to prevent that
problem.
 
Honey is a combination of glucose (AKA: blood sugar) and fructose (AKA:
fruit sugar).  Absorbed fructose is metabolized in the liver, the same
place where much of the creation of glucose from protein
(gluconeogenesis) takes place.  Coincidence?  Fructose is metabolized
into glucose in the same place where it is needed to help the metabolism
of protein into glucose.  Much of the glucose will escape into the
bloodstream, but that's ok; you only want to preserve the energy reserves
of the ferret.
 
Another thing you should never remove is the bone and eggshell.  I get
all sorts of comments about the possible dangers of bone, yet for all the
years of people feeding BCG, no one has ever shown evidence a ferret was
harmed by eating the stuff.  People afraid of bone should realize ferrets
are anatomically and physiologically designed to eat bone and move on.
Ferrets are domesticated polecats, and polecats have been hypercarnivores
for millions of years.  Any polecat that couldn't safely consume, digest,
and eliminate bone would have been weeded out long ago.
 
Bone is primarily hydroxyapatite [Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2], and is formed from
calcium phosphate and protein.  Eggshell is primarily calcium carbonate
[CaCO3] and protein.  Muscle meat has a calcium to phosphorus (Ca:P)
ratio of 1:20, but in whole bodied animals containing bone the Ca:P ratio
is about 1.1:1.  Making BCG using a whole fryer (with all bones) has a
Ca:P ratio close to the 1.1:1 ideal, but it might be a bit low depending
on the amount of bone included and how calcified the bones might be.  The
eggshells add a bit more calcium to the mix without adding phosphorus,
insuring the Ca:P ratio is at least 1:1, but not more than 2:1.  It is
better to be slightly above the ideal Ca:P ratio than below it because
the excess calcium will simply be eliminated through the kidneys.  For
the ferret to get the proper Ca:P ratio, the bone and eggshell MUST be
left in the BCG, and not strained out.  It will not hurt them, many
fragments will be left in the bowl, stomach acids will round off any
sharp edges of the swallowed ones, and any that survive will safely pass
out through the other end.
 
Feeding baby food such as Gerber's Chicken over a long period of time
can be much more dangerous than you might think.  If you look at the
nutritional information on the label, it clearly says the percent of
daily value for calcium is zero, as in not meeting ANY calcium
requirement (other nutrients are also zero, such as important vitamins
like A and D).  Since the main ingredient is chicken, you know the Ca:P
ratio is close to 1:20--it is just the amount of calcium is below the
required level to show up on the label.  Gerber's knows most infants will
be getting a lot of milk and other foods in their diet, so the lack of
calcium in the chicken diet is unimportant.  However, sick ferrets just
eating baby food do not have alternative sources of calcium (and other
nutrients) and that means those ferrets are consuming a calcium deficient
diet.  And not just a small deficit either: feeding a growing ferret
nothing but baby food is the same as feeding a growing beagle nothing
but muscle meat and THAT practice will result in rickets.
 
Ferrets have been known to live quite a long time on baby chicken, even
to the exclusion of all other fare, and they don't seem to fall over from
hypocalcaemia (low blood calcium).  However, I have studied hundreds of
ferret skeletons and have some insight into the issue.  In particular,
I have studied four skeletons where the ferret primarily subsisted on
baby food for 6 months to a year prior to death, and those ferrets were
extremely osteoporotic.  Two had collapsed vertebral bodies because of a
lack of bone mineral.  All four had healing rib fractures, and the bone
in the ribs was so thin that they could be crushed between the fingers.
The bone itself seemed chalky and flaky.  These are all symptoms of
osteoporosis.  I suspect ferrets on a baby food diet that lacks calcium
would run a serious risk of osteoporosis or some other problem caused by
a lack of the nutrient UNLESS ground kibble or some other calcium-rich
supplement was given on a regular basis.  The problem of osteoporosis is
exacerbated by other disease and even neutering, but if a ferret doesn't
have enough calcium in their diet to meet their needs, there is only one
other place they can get it and that is their bones.
 
If you take the bones out of BCG, then the resulting mixture will have
a Ca:P ratio near 1:20.  In a growing kit, the practice can result in
rickets, poor growth, or other problems.  Calcium is so important to the
proper function of muscles, including the heart, that the body will suck
calcium out of the bones to make up for a lack of calcium in the diet,
and it can result in osteoporosis in an older ferret.  Too much calcium
is dangerous as well and can result in the formation of stones in the
bladder or kidneys, but part of that problem is solved by the slightly
acidic nature of the urine of carnivores consuming a high protein and fat
diet.  That is why it is important to have a dietary Ca:P ratio between
1:1 and 2:1.  The tiny bone fragments in BCG will not harm a ferret, yet
take them out and feed the ferret a food with a skewed Ca:P ratio and you
can cause serious problems.  Do not, and I repeat ad infinitum, do not
strain out the bone!
 
The Metamucil (or oatmeal) is added to give the food a little bulk.  If
you think it is hard for me to convince people that ground up bones or a
couple of tablespoons of honey won't hurt a ferret, imagine my telling
them a ferret needs to eat a little skin and fur once in a while.  The
fiber helps keep the intestines clean and in order, and helps gets rid of
ingested hair.  However, the main reason is because it helps firm up the
stool, and as many BCG users will attest, the food often causes loose
stools for a couple of weeks until the ferret's digestive system gets
used to the water and fat.  I like using Metamucil rather than oatmeal
to prevent adding carbohydrates to the diet.
 
Bob C
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[Posted in FML issue 4600]