FEEDING.
Direct quote from the author
"We(I) do not agree with those folk who feed a solely flesh diet. Bread
and milk ought to be the staple food with the other(meat) auxillary.
Stale bread broken into small pieces and covered with boiling water,
most of the water squeezed off and then cold or warm milk poureed over
it." Twice or three times a week some small birds, livers of ground
game or portions of rabbit without the fur. Give nothing that has died
from natural causes."

NOTE: This is not good, however, to give the author his due he quotes
from four other people who do not agree with him and all of whom
recommend a meat diet. (Tony).

Mr Lascelles Carr says "I give my ferrets nothing but animal food.
Fresh killed birds, rats or rabbits or scraps of butchers meat. This
and fresh water is their only diet." He also compares the form and
odour of their stools with " not foul and slimy from the bread and
milk diet".

The editor of a popular country publication agrees. ".. never so
healthy or active as when existing chiefly on a flesh diet...when fed
on bread and milk the fecal discharges were watery and evil smelling
and adults and young subject to the scours (diarrhea)".

Other people comment on improved health and fur condition, increase
in activity and muscle strength, cleaner and drier in their habits,
no weakness about the hind legs, when on a meat diet.

Occasional milk to drink also recommended.

WORKING FERRETS:
Other points about feeding working ferrets, if not fed before working
may kill and eat underground (laying up).the consensus seems to be to
feed normally but at least an hour before working them and give another
small feed and an hours rest in the middle of the day and 8 hours work
can easily be achieved. Water and milk must be supplied while they are
working or they may run off to find water.

It is not thought to be correct to muzzle the ferrets when working
them as if the escape they would starve to death

NOTE: The point about working with ferrets is not for the ferrets to
kill rabbits but to drive them from their burrows into nets or to be
shot, dogs used to catch any that may try to escape.

Rats are also worked. To clear a barn of rats plenty of ferrets are
required as they may have to fight the more stubborn rats and a reserve
of ferrets is required to replace any that become tired. The object is
to kill the rats and drive the remainder from the barn where they can
be shot, killed by dogs or hit by a flat spade. The only poisons
available were not safe to use where human or animal food was stored or
animals kept.

HEALTH:
NOTE: As may be expected 100 years ago there were no antibiotics or
vaccinations in existance, so treatment was rudimentary and surgery
not mentioned at all not even any kind of veterinary practitioner.

Distemper.
Although this is known to be the same disease as canine distemper
(CDV), there seems to be some confusion as to the diagnosis. It
describes two forms of distemper, a mild form (the sweats or the
sweating sickness).and a severe form. The mild form is described as " A
general heaviness and dullness of air first comes over the animal, it
declines its food and lies shivering and miserable in its bed sweating
profusely all the time. The eyes become dull and swollen and from
these and the nostrils an offensive discharge emanates. As the disease
progresses the head swells, the discharges increase and the animal
becomes greatly distressed and soon prostrate." .

The treatment of this mild form is a warm soapy bath with added Condy's
Fluid (Potassium permanganate solution) , the ferret is then dried and
wrapped in warm flannel and placed in fresh quarters. Two hours later
given 5-10 drops of cod liver oil and a feed of warm milk. If the
animal has not recovered the next day then the treatment is repeated.
Recovery is expected in 1-2 days.

" Some people think that the so called sweat is a different malady from
distemper, but this is incorrect, they are only differnt phases of the
same disease".

NOTE: personally I think this is influenza as this is not mentioned as
a ferret disease at all. It doesn't seem to be known that ferrets can
get influenza. Tony.

The severe form of the disease is only decribed as a second stage of
the mild form with similiar treatment plus bathing of the eyes and
nostrils and use of vaseline on the same areas and with the addition
of beef tea to the milk.

This is where the confusion starts..." Sweat (distemper) is usually
considered fatal to ferrets but if the above treatment be followed
then the losses from it will not exceed 5% of those attacked"

NOTE: It seems to me that this man has probably never really seen
distemper as there is no mention of crusting around the mouth, chin
and paws. Certainly not with 95% survival. What he is describing is
probably mild and more severe cases of influenza. Tony.

More on health the next time.

Tony

[Posted in FML 6393]