I am sorry it has taken me a while to get back to this discussion....shelter
life is a very demanding life, email sometimes gets put aside for other
important "fuzzy-things", and occasionally...*sleep*.
 
>From:    Dan Kinney <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: Totally Ferret/Choosing foods
>I certainly don't want to question Patricia Curtis' sincerity, but I find
>this statement hard to believe:
>>"Any vegetable matter that ferrets eat has the potential to cause serious
>>health risks/problems."
 
Based upon my research, this is true.  It 'may not' cause problems, but it
certainly has the 'potential' to do so.  Did you read Meg's story of the
ferrets she almost lost just because it stole and ate a carrot?  It was only
due to the incredible skill of her vet, and Meg's attentive post-surgery
intensive care, that this ferret survived at all.  This can happen with
almost any vegetable!!  Any hard food that can't be broken down by the
ferret's system can cause blockage, they can't digest/break down vegetables,
their intestines are simply not set up for it.  If a ferret eats a raw or
poorly cooked (and sometimes even well-cooked) vegetables, they often come
out the other end in the same pieces as swallowed.  This means something.
It means they can't break it down and it could easily cause blockage and/or
cause infection to set in.
 
In the case of processed vegetable matter, as in "foods on the market where
corn/other grains are too high on the ingredient list", over a long period
these can cause problems as well.  For one, the ferret is getting
short-changed on the protein, vitamins, minerals that it really needs that
the grain is taking the place of.  Secondly, it can lead to digestive
trouble now or later in life.  Thirdly, it can lead to chemical imbalances
in the body now or later in life.
 
Boomer lived the first 4 years of his life on corn-based foods before coming
to the shelter.  He was extremely malnourished upon arrival, and his growth
was obviously stunted, he weighed about 1-1/2 pounds upon arrival.  After
much testing, it was learned that he has low-blood-sugar.  His pancreas has
been checked and no insulinomas exist, in fact, he has a very healthy
pancreas, so his condition (according to my vet) has to be diet
related/induced.  On a very good day, Boomer's non-fasting blood sugar count
is about 55.  That is extremely low for a ferret!!  Boomer is a permanent
shelter resident because of his condition, and is on Pediapred which seems
to help stabilize his blood sugar just a bit.  He is closely watched and
can't go for very long at all without eating, sometimes I have to wake him
up and coax him to eat so his sugar does not get too low.  Totally Ferret
has done miracles for this kid, too, especially in the first 4 months.  He's
been here over a year now and has put on about a pound and is doing well
considering his condition.
 
>And this
>>"Animals are not like humans in that they need variety in their diet to
>>stimulate interest in food"
>flies in the face of my own experience.
 
I mean this sincerely, not to incite.  I'd like to know the experience that
tells you they "need" this.  Yes, some "want" it, just like I "want"
chocolate ice cream, but there is no medical evidence to support that I
"need" chocolate ice cream, in fact the sugar and the fat and the chocolate
are "not good for me" according to human doctors and nutrition gurus.
 
These statements I make come from things learned from professionals who deal
with animals on a daily, professional basis.  Wildlife rehabbers, vets, zoo
people, etc..  Just go down to your local zoo and see what "variety" they
offer their lions, tigers, etc..  They may get just a little added to their
meats in the form of prepared supplements (just as vitamins and minerals are
added to Iams Kitten Food and Totally Ferret), but they don't get broccoli,
green peppers, marshmallows, chips, coke, or even raisins and cantelope.
 
>Like just about every owner, I love my woozels to distraction, and posts
>such as Patricia's make me feel insecure and afraid that I may be
>inadvertently harming my dookers.  But Patricia obviously has conviction,
>here, and I'm sure ferret's best interest at heart.
 
Absolutely!  Thus, the name I chose for my shelter.  The ferrets' well-being
and happiness are always my primary concern.
 
Nutrition is a far more important factor in the health of our fuzzy-children
than many of us realize.  I want ferret owners to understand that *they*
must learn what is appropriate and what is not, and learn to read
labels/ingredients and interpret their meaning fairly accurately.  Food
manufacturing/selling is a business just like any other, the goal is
*profit*!  Corn and other products are much cheaper than meats and quality
ingredients and money is the bottom line in manufacturing/selling, so we, as
conscientious ferret owners, have to look for the companies who have the
ferrets' well-being at heart moreso than the almighty dollar.  Performance
Foods, Inc.  is a food manufacturer too, but the research is there!  Many
companies cannot show valid research based upon "domestic ferrets", they
might be able to tell you what other animals need and then *copy* that, but
Performance has tried and tested their nutritional findings on *our pets*!!
Performance is also very active in the ferret community in ways most of you
will never know about (they feel no need to make their "good deeds" known
simply to get praise or recognition), at the companies own expense, for the
health and well-being of ferrets and ferret shelters.  This also tells me
that they truly care about the ferrets!  The food they produce simply speaks
for itself in results I have seen here.
 
>The last thing we want is a flame war
 
Thank you!!  That is also, the last thing I want.  I run a shelter and
simply do not have time for senseless, petty, childish bickering.  However,
I am open to anyone's opinions (hopefully based upon factual/reliable
research), and do not mind discussing/learning about any subject as
reasonable adults.  I have had ferrets and my shelter for several years and
still, even today, it seems I learn something new almost daily.  (For those
of you who don't know, running a shelter is like a crash course in ferret
knowledge, you have to learn or you sink (or worse, ferrets suffer), often
you learn by experience rather than by passive reading.  One year in shelter
life equals about 10 years of "keeping ferrets simply as pets"...in
practical knowledge gained.  If you are lucky, you also meet a few wonderful
people willing to teach/help you and who share information for the sake of
the fuzzies, I have relied heavily in the past upon many other shelter
operators.  Most are great folks who truly care.)
 
Everything I say is based upon information gathered from personal experience
or from *experts* in the field.  Opinions are a dime a dozen and the only
ones that really count with me are the ones that are either based upon real,
personal experience (and I've learned alot from experiences of individual
ferret owners myself, regarding unusual cases or special problems) or on
accurate medical knowledge!  Even vets can be wrong, but if you ask a
hundred questions of enough vets, it's easy to know who *really knows* their
stuff, and who is just guessing or spouting off something he/she "thinks" is
true.  I go by the ones who *really know*.  I ask tons of questions and I
read and study alot so I can have as much of my own knowledge as possible.
Shelter life affords *tons* of knowledge in itself.
 
>Even vet stuff I've read seems incongruent on some food issues.  I guess I'm
>asking, IS there a "conventional wisdom" on a varied diet?
 
No "conventinal wisdom" exists to my knowledge as it relates to ferrets, I
wish it did and were widely known/accepted.  Dr. Tom Willard has done far
more research into what the domestic ferret *really needs* in it's diet than
any other person, to my knowledge.  This is why I carry his nutritional
research information on my website http://www.flash.net/~ffrs
 
Think of this, many species of wild animals that are "carnivores" (just like
our sweet little ferrets) have a certain type of "prey" that they seek out
and thrive on their entire lives.  Some only eat one specific type of animal
as prey.  That does not indicate to me that carnivores need variety in their
diet, especially vegetables and fruit.  Coyotes don't raid our gardens
looking for broccoli.  The Black-Footed Ferret lives primarily (if not
exclusively in some cases) on Prarie Dogs.
 
Our sweet little fuzzies have many human-like qualities and it is easy to
forget that they are still not like us in certain ways.  Our teeth are
different in shape, our teeth are made for both cutting/tearing meat, and
the flat teeth are primarily for chewing things like vegetables and fruit.
Ferret's teeth are are designed for eating meats, just like those of a cat,
coyote, lion, Black-Footed Ferret, etc..
 
I am not saying they don't acquire cravings for certain things, they DO,
especially for sweets!  I have fuzzy-kids here that love sweets and some
really wierd stuff... but that does not mean they get it or that it is
something they *need*.  *I* am the human who can read ingredients, study the
research and *I* decide what is best for them.
 
>Boofer wants to know.  She has a vested interest in cantelope.
 
Sweets are not good for ferrets 'in my opinion', but I have no concrete
support for this feeling, it is an instinct I can't explain.  My mom suffers
from low-blood-sugar as well, and based upon what I have learned over the
years about this problem in humans (lots of boring stuff about the
functioning of the pancreas, sugars, insulin, blood, etc.), I think sweets
have the potential to "screw up" the ferrets' blood-sugar too over the
long-haul.  Sweets in the form of fruits are "probably" better than raw
sugars like candies, whipped cream, marshmallows, etc..  so if you think you
must give them something sweet, I'd much rather see them get a raisin or
small piece of banana or cantelope.  BUT PLEASE DO IT IN MODERATION!!  Very
small pieces, preferable mashed up!!  Remember, the coarser the fruit, the
harder to pass through the digestive tract.  Follow up with hairball
medicine for good measure (shoot, they'll think that is a treat too, mine
do).  I suggest that you not give these "sweets" on a daily basis, twice
weekly is plenty!
 
I am not out to be mean to poor little Boofer!!  I am only cautioning folks
here to be careful, there are potential dangers.  As a shelter and source of
information/help to ferret owners, I receive lots of calls about sick
ferrets only to learn they were given inappropriate "treats", unfortuately
it is too late for some...if you can't figure out what that means...they
DIE!!  These stories are real and very heart-breaking to me, they never make
it to the FML, but they are out there!  These poor fuzzies are part of the
reason I am such a fanatic about not giving treats that are inappropriate
for ferrets, especially vegetables!!
 
I hope you take all this in the "informative" nature that it is intended, I
do not mean to upset/anger anyone.  I am only expressing my feelings here
beause I love *all* ferrets, and I would never want to read about little
Boofer having problems because of anything she ate.
 
Kisses to Boofer,
Trish
Director, Ferrets First Rescue & Shelter
[Posted in FML issue 1930]