In yesterday's fml Sukie chastised someone for not thinking
scientifically about how carbohydrates affect ferrets.  And yet earlier
Sukie has posted about how raisins are toxic/lethal to ferrets without
EVER giving any references to that statement.
 
I have been told that a Dr. Kawasaki apparently gave a talk at the St.
Louis Symposium about how he has seen several cases of sudden kidney
failure in ferrets, and somehow linked them to raisins.  I don't know
as there isn't anything at all published about his talk, or anything
else on it with ferrets.
 
Many might quote the ASPCA about raisin toxicity in dogs, however their
website states:
 
"Much is still yet to be discovered about the toxic principle associated
with grape and raisin ingestions, as well as the exact mechanism leading
to kidney damage in some dogs.  It is also not clear if only canines are
susceptible to developing a toxicosis, and additionally if only certain
dogs are affected, or if chronic, long term ingestions can lead to the
same effects as large, acute or single ingestions.As there are still many
unknowns with the toxic potential of grapes and raisins, the ASPCA Animal
Poison Control Center advises not giving grapes or raisins to pets in any
amount."
 
Let's take a look at this for a minute shall we?  First off, the ASPCA
lists 140 cases of possible toxicity in one year, a much larger number
than several.  And only seven of the 140 dogs died.  Only 50 had severe
problems.
 
It then states that they do not know what exactly causes the problems.
 
Then they state they don't know if it is only canines susceptible or not,
or if only certain dogs can get it.  In other words, they don't even know
if it affects all dogs or not, let alone any other species.
 
They then say they don't know if chronic exposure or a one time large
exposure causes the problems.
 
Even the ASPCA says it MAY cause problems in dogs and advises not feeding
raisins or grapes to dogs.
 
So if we look at this with a critical mind, we see that raisins might
cause problems in dogs, but no one yet knows for sure.
 
Apparently one vet gave a public talk about several cases of sudden
kidney failure in ferrets in his practice, but I don't know what he said
or how he might have determined they were bad for ferrets since I cannot
access anything that has what he said.
 
I think it is interesting, but anecdotal.  No one has proved anything at
this point.  And there are a lot of ferrets getting lots of raisins out
there, for years and years.
 
Now I do think it is wise to watch sugary treats as they aren't good for
any of us, and especially for ferrets with insulinoma they are very bad.
I certainly don't recommend giving mass quantities to ferrets, but have
none more than just a few that managed to get mass quantities on their
own, and save for bad diarrhea had nothing wrong with them.
 
However, I do not appreciate anyone using blanket statements without
evidence.  I am already seeing in other ferret communities hoards of
people telling new owners that raisins will kill ferrets, and that
feeding sweet treats cause insulinoma.  There is a lot of misinformation
out there due to someone making claims, someone who might seem like an
authority on the subject because they have put themselves in the position
to pass along medical information.
 
Sukie, I appreciate all the work you do in passing along that
information.  And I also realize that you put a disclaimer in your
signature.  But we both realize that even with such disclaimers you
can come off like an expert in this community, just by posting with a
certain authority, whether you mean to or not.
 
You have put yourself in a position of higher standards and particularly
if you choose to chastise someone else for not using critical thinking,
then you had better make sure you have done the same.
 
Blessings,
 
Margie
[Posted in FML issue 5188]