Q: "Bob!  I am so sorry for the timing of this question, but could
you please lists some problems in food so we can discuss them at the
symposium?"
 
A: Hey, I admit I lists; its a problem with my bilge, but do you have to
tell everyone?
 
I just got this and I'm not sure if it will be much help considering the
time, but here goes.
 
1. "Ferrets have an unknown carbohydrate requirement."
 
Nope, no, nada, nicht, na, N-O!  I have nearly a dozen outstanding
references that conclusively demonstrate that ferrets have zero dietary
carbohydrate requirements, including remarks from the top books on small
animal nutrition.  This is supported by scores of dietary studies of
polecats, black-footed ferrets, New Zealand feral ferrets, and captive
domesticated ferrets fed a natural diet in which the carbohydrate levels
are so small they are considered insignificant.  It is also supported by
the design of the ferret's teeth, which are those of a hypercarnivore,
and do not have the molar regions designed to crush and grind plant
materials.  It is likewise supported by the ferret's bowel, which lacks a
caecum, the area where bacteria ferment carbohydrates and release sugars
and other nutrients.  It is similarly supported by the ferret's bowel
transit time, about 4-5 hours, which is too fast for fermentive digestion
to be much of a factor in normal digestion.  It is further supported by
the fact that NO member of the Genus Mustela has a carbohydrate
requirement, which includes the weasels, polecats and black-footed
ferrets, and mink.  Finally, it is supported by historical documents that
describe the diet of the ferret, stating plainly that "...the milk and
bread diet causes ferrets to languish, lose energy, and tire easilyand
results in their early death.  Ferrets need to be fed animal flesh...".
The exceptions to these statements are found in the pamphlets published
by American breeders who regularly included cooked grains mixed in the
meat given to ferrets; however, these were usually rough grains like rye
and oatmeal cooked at low temperatures, rather than the finely ground
flours cooked at high temperatures and pressures.  We have no idea of the
ages of these animals at death.
 
All these traits are a signal that ferrets are not carbohydrate
consumers, and normally, even if they ate some ripened fruit, all
they usually digest in the real world are small amounts of simple
carbohydrates like glucose (blood sugar from consumed animals) and
fructose (plant sugar from fruits).  The complex carbohydrates would
generally pass through mostly undigested.  This is all changed when the
carbohydrates are finely ground into a flour and cooked at the high
temperatures and pressures required to create kibble.  The ferret CAN
digest these highly processed and cooked carbohydrates, and they are
turned into glucose.  Normally, the ferret would use gluconeogenesis to
create glucose in the liver from protein, which results in low frequency
fluctuations of blood sugar.  However, in the artificial carbohydrate
world of kibble, the diet causes high frequency blood sugar fluctuations
(high frequency means many fluctuations in a given period of time, while
low frequency means few fluctuations in the same time period).  One
recent paper suggests hypercarnivores have remarkably stable blood sugar
levels when fed high quality proteins and fats.
 
When the statement is offered, "We really don't know what the
carbohydrate requirement is for ferrets," it is somewhat disingenuous.
We know what the carbohydrate requirement is -- it is zero, meaning they
do not need them.  What they really should say is, "We don't know what
the SAFE level of carbohydrates are for ferrets."  That statement is very
true, although simplistic.  It is not just the amounts of carbohydrate
that is important, but also the ferret's ability to digest them.  It is
the highly refined, cooked-under-high-temperature-and-pressure
carbohydrates that are the real problem.
 
2. "Ferrets and polecats get a large number of carbohydrates from the
bowels of their prey."
 
Not true, and if someone suggests it, demand the evidence that proves
it.  It is true that polecats and ferrets will eat small mammals (such
as mice) in their entirety, but it is not always true for larger animals
(such as rabbits).  I have seen many carcasses of rabbits missing the
heads, internal organs, and muscle meat, but still having an intact, or
mostly intact gastrointestinal system.  Also, significant portions of the
diet are amphibians, snails, insects, eels, and carrion, dropping the
percentage of consumed carbohydrates by a tremendous amount.  The idea
also completely ignores the fact that in dead animals, the sugars present
decline over time because intestinal bacteria utilize them, so the longer
the animal is dead, the fewer carbohydrates there are to steal from the
GI tract.  Also, how many animals have bowels that are completely filled
with digesting food?  Hardly any; in most there are significant spaces
between food boluses, meaning much of the bowel is empty.  More
importantly, there are three numeric reasons why the suggestion is wrong.
First, exactly how much volume is contained within the gastrointestinal
system, and how does that compare to the body volume?  It is much smaller
than you would suppose.  The second reason is the material within the
gastrointestinal tract is not homogenous; stuff in the front may not be
digested enough for the ferret to use, and the stuff in the back is
nutritionally crappy.  Third, what portion of the bowel contents are
carbohydrates?  Much is fiber, moisture, sloughed off cells, bacteria,
etc.  Just bacteria and sloughed body cells could be up to a third, or
more, of the total volume.  So, only a portion of the GI tract has
carbohydrates the ferret is capable of using.  For all these reasons, the
number of carbohydrates in a prey's bowel is much less than suggested,
perhaps in the 1-2% of body volume range, or less.  Oh yes, I HAVE
measured it.
 
3. "Carbohydrates meet the ferret's higher-than-normal metabolic needs."
 
To quote Dr. McCoy, "Poppycock!" A recent study has shown the idea that
polecats and ferrets have higher metabolic needs has been erroneous due
to testing error.  Essentially, stress during testing can change the
results, making the animal seem as if they have a higher metabolic rate.
Non-stressed testing show the ferret has the same basic metabolic rate
of any other animal of the same mass.
[Posted in FML issue 4861]