To Mike McDermott;
 
I really would like to encourage you to look deeper into the nutritional
needs of ferrets and into the making of foods, ingredients, preservatives,
additives, etc..  Ferrets are a very complex animal.  They have a sensitive
digestive system and have very special dietary needs.  There is little
information readiliy available on this subject so you really have to "seek"
it.  Modern Ferret Magazine has done some interviews with Tom Willard and
there are other interviews about nutrition that appear in some newsletters.
Pam Grant has a great deal of info on this subject, just ask her.
 
Let me stress that the most important consideration is that, although the
ferret and the mink are distantly related, they are two entirely different
animals.  Their needs are different.  It is my belief that the mink chows
are designed, not so much for quality of ingredients, but for fast growth,
good coat, and at the lowest possible expense.  Remember that minks are not
pets, they are raised as fur animals, all the breeders want is quick growth
and a pretty coat so they can make money on them faster.  Unfortunately,
many ferret foods are just copies of mink chows, and therefore, are not
necessarily "good for" your ferret, especially over their lifetime.
 
I have personally witnessed the very near death of a one year old female due
to using a ferret food copied after a mink chow.  She has permanent damage
to her digestive tract and, though she is doing well at the moment, three
vets said she would not live.  Her diet was changed and she recieved a great
deal of special attention and medications for an extended period.  It is my
firm belief that the food she was on before would have killed her had we not
changed her diet.  She is a miracle.  She will never go back on the "cheaper
foods" for any reason, nor will ANY ferret under my care.  I am not saying
that I use Totally Ferret exclusively, except for the little girl that I
mentioned, and for some other special cases here, but I use only certain
very high quality kitten foods, like mostly Iams Kitten, some ProPlan Cat
Growth, and some ProPlan Turkey and Barley Cat.  If I could afford it for
all the shelter kids, I would probably feed only Totally Ferret, but my
budget is tight, too.  I have no qualms about the price they ask, I just use
TF carefully here.  I WILL NOT buy any so-called Ferret Foods that are
available (except TF) because they do not even come close to meeting my
standards for food.  I have seen too many rescues that were on "garbage"
foods and grocery store cat and even dog foods that were in horrible shape,
then upon switching to an appropriate diet they made a major transformation
right before my eyes.  I will not change what I am now feeding just to save
a dollar or two.
 
You can buy cheap ferret foods, but in my opinion, based upon months of
research on the subject of ferret health and nutrition, these are in fact
harmful to ferrets.  Sure their coat may be full, and they may seem okay,
but the potential for medical problems related to a poor diet are ceratinly
not worth it.  Yes, Totally Ferret is expensive, but what is their life
worth?  Do you want to risk their untimely death, or their being sick later
in life?  I DON'T !
 
I know what I say here is bound to upset some who may disagree, but as I
told someone just this week, I am not here to say what people want to hear,
********    I am here for the ferrets ! ! !  *******
 
I take very seriously my responsibility to do the best for them that I
possibly can and I will not let them down.  If people do not like my
opinions and the things I do, that does not make me 'happy', but I will
*not* compromise what I believe in just for the human population.  Here, the
FERRETS ARE FIRST, and they always will be.
 
If I can help in your quest for information on nutrition, please e-mail me
directly.
 
Trish
Director, Ferrets First Rescue & Shelter
[Posted in FML issue 1570]