On Jun 25, 2005, at 4:37 AM, Sukie wrote:
>There are two things which are downright obvious in relation to
>making ferret foods better:
> 1. No chunks of veggies or fruits since those can cause blockages.
> 2. The protein source should be entirely or almost entirely animal
>    based
 
Hi Sukie --
I realize some will see this as heresy.  And I do prefer to use
animal-based protein for my kids.
 
BUT -- I took nutritional anthropology in grad school; we studied the
near-exclusive meat diet of the the Inuit, and the vegetarianism,
sometimes strict, of the indian subcontinent, the blood-and-milk liquid
diet of the Masai warrior, the egg aversion found in parts of Africa,
and other peculiar diets.
 
One principle, in evaluating diet, was that an amino acid is an amino
acid, regardless of its origin.  But hear me out; that is not to say
that there is no difference between vegetable and meat protein.  The big
advantage of getting protein from meat is that the ratios of amino acids
is near optimum for mammals.  With almost any vegetable protein, there
are two concerns: getting the right amounts of the right amino acids,
and taking into account the fact that even protein-rich veggies have a
lot of fiber or carbs, stuff that doesn't count as protein and that
affect absorbtion.  Societies that are basically vegetarian generally
have fairly elaborate dietary conventions that ensure that they get
enough of all the essential amino acids.
 
But IF a manufacturer is extracting amino acids to make kibble, then the
original source of the protein shouldn't matter.  That IF is the big
question.  I don't know if manufacturers in fact extract the amino acids
to construct kibble.  If they are just throwing in some bean paste or
"protein powder", for instance, then that won't have all the necessary
amino acids, and will contain other substances that make the amino acids
hard to absorb.  If that's the case (and I suspect it is right now),
then yes, animal-source protein is better.
 
But in theory, vegetable protein, reduced to appropriate proportions
of the right amino acids, should be fine.  So I don't like proposing
a _requirement_ that protein come from animal sources only.
 
No argument on the elimination of veggie chunks.
 
-Claire
PS - Just a reminder for anyone looking into this -- the oft-listed
"essential amino acids" are those essential to people.  Many animals
have slightly different synthesis capabilities, so may have a different
list or required proportions of "essential" AA's.  I don't know the
requirements of ferrets; I'm sure Sukie is much more familiar with the
current research on this.
[Posted in FML issue 4921]