To Michel the M.D. -
 
>Can ferrets digest siy products?  Nuts?  Can they safely be given
>rawhide chew products?  Rawhide is a meat byproduct, so, I wonder ....
 
 Soy  - yes, but not if there is any hint of diarrhea or an inflamed stomach or
intestine - it may cause an osmotic gradient in the intestine that will worsen
gastrointestinal problems..... Ferrets have little problem with nuts, but may
be tempted to swallow them whole, which can lead to choking.  Most ferrets are
not particularly prone to nuts -
 
        Rawhide - Once again, most ferrets don't eat rawhide, but may stash it
away.  There are several types of rawhide products available.  One is the
rawhide strips - which may lacerate the intestine if not chewed long enogh -
most vets don't recommend this type.  There are also rawhide sticks which are
compounded of tiny pieces of rawhide which are compressed to make a stick -
these items only last about five minutes with my dogs, but I don't see them as
being as dangerous as the rawhide strips.  You might try something along those
lines - ferrets are well adapted for digesting meat products.
 
--
Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP              Department of Veterinary Pathology
[log in to unmask]               Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
[log in to unmask]             Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
(202) 782-2600/2602
[Posted in FML issue 1196]