I can appreciate some people's trepidation about feeding "wild game" -
but there are many common sense approaches to dressing wild game that
any "hunter or trapper" should be aware of!

Notice I did NOT suggest feeding road kill - these raccoons had been
captured in a live trap and dispatched with a bullet to the brain. No
internal organs were ruptured before the carcasses were dressed out.
I offered NONE of the intestinal organs to the ferrets as food.

Yes, the raccoons were dressed in a sanitary manner - no intestinal
organs were opened to contaminate the meat. No feces contaminated
the meat. Could it be possible the raccoons already were infected?
possibly. Did I use a microscope to analyze the tissues? NOPE.

Neither do I analyze the tissues of the raw items I feed coming from
the grocery store that could just as easily be infected with various
parasites.

I've reviewed the information on the page regarding raccoon parasites
and note that they showed at least 6 anthelmentics known to kill the
parasite in the raccoon. Ivermectin being one of them.

My ferrets get Revolution - which is Selamectin - a derivative of
Ivermectin so I feel confident their systems are safe from invading
parasites.

That particular page http://www.raccoonworld.com/raccoonroundworm.html
has a good closing statement: " Instead of panicking over a real but
very rare danger, learn how to minimize the risks of transmission. And
don't eat any poop."

ALL parasites have fascinating life cycles. My ferrets could easily
pick up parasites of other forms when they go on outdoor excursions -
which is why I opt to use Revolution because of its proven efficacy
in eradicating parasites.

Cheers,
Kim

[Posted in FML 6558]