>From:    Tedd McKeever <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Ferrets and Raisins!
>While reading my copy of FERRETS U.S.A.  1997 annual issue there is an
>article intitled "FERRET FOOD FOR THOUGHT" by William Sadler Ph.D. pages
>40-44.  Dr. Sadler directs research efforts at Purina Mills and serves as
>Director of Zooloical Mazuri Diets.
 
Realize first that articles in magazines like this are quite often puff
pieces to sell products.  This guy wants to sell his brand of food.  This
magazine is about the ads in it not about the articles.  They almost don't
care what they say.  Hence different magazines from the same publisher tend
to contradict each other.  Their wholistic pet magazine contradicts this on
feeding ferrets for example.  In general we aren't too fond of any of the
Fancy publications.  We do read them and we have been mentioned in Ferrets
USA before.  Haven't checked the '97 issue.
 
Some of our friends and good knowledgeable ferret people have written some
of their articles.  Not all are puff articles.  You just have to be careful.
 
Dr. Sadler is probably a very good man and we have no evidence to the
contrary.  But he is "director" of reasearch and of the Mazuri diets.  hes
the manager.  He is unfortunately biased in favor of his foods.  It does not
mean he owns ferrets or has been involved in any of the research regarding
ferrets.  We occaisionally use Mazuri as it is a good food but it is not as
good in our opinion as say Totally Ferret.  Mazuri is a bit high in grain
content from what we can tell.  We'll have to read this article to be sure
how much of a puff piece it might be.
 
The publishers are more interested in the length of the articles than the
knowedge and status of the authors.  They don't want to pay very much for
the contents so they'll print almost anything cheap or free.  Advertisers
tend to want the articles to emphasize the products they're advertising so
they'll write articles that are as much yet another advertisement as they
are information.
 
I'm an engineer and have gotten many many engineering periodicals over my
career.  Some are informative journals.  Some are puff articles along with
advertising.
 
This is one area that magazines like Modern Ferret differ from magazines
like this.  Modern Ferret is produced entirely by ferret owners.  They have
a bias FOR the ferrets.  Ferrets USA comes from Fancy publications that has
a bias in favor of profit from its many magazines.
 
Raisin also are not raisin flavoring.  The raisin juice does not contain as
much of the undigestible food solids.  We don't use this food regularly but
it has nothing to do with the raisin juice.  Its not a bad food.  Just not
one of our choices most of the time.  We tend to be disappointed in its low
fat content.  They want to sell their Ferretone so they reduced the fat
content to the point you sort of need the supplement.
 
>I know chocolate becomes toxic and bones are without question, especially
>chicken, and I understand about the dairy, because it can cause diarrhea.
 
Actually you probably don't "know" chocolate becomes toxic.  You've probably
been "told" that but are there any rigorous scientific studies?  Does anyone
know a ferret that died from chocolate?  I wouldn't give ferrets much
chocolate but its more that it doesn't do them good than that it does them
harm.  If anyone DOES know of real research on this please bring it forward.
We would really want to know this.
 
And bones are actually quite good for ferrets.  We'll let Mo'Bob the bone
man go into the details about this.  He does "dig them bones".
 
Limit the vegetable and fruit snacks.  The ferrets do have trouble digesting
the tougher vegetables at all and the softer ones don't give them any real
benefit.  The tough veggies are worse for that reason.  Ferrets can't digest
the cellulose.
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1863]