Hi All,
Well, some of you were right, I got a few private messages about "Mikey"
eating my homemade dog food.  Wait now, I want to explain what I feed my
dogs.  I have here beside me 3 different bags of ferret food.  I believe in
mixing so the ferrets don't get "stuck" on one brand and refuse to eat
anything else.  The first ingredient in all 3 bags is chicken meal.  My dogs
get cooked chicken or turkey hamburger meat.  The next ingredient is either
ground yellow corn or 2 have rice of some sort.  My dogs get rice or pasta
with some oatmeal for their carbos.  Next is gluten meal on two bags with
the third having egg product (is it an egg or not?).  My dogs get a
scrambled egg about 4 times a week (that's an egg for each dog).  Then comes
the fat of some variety.  My dogs get omega 3& 6 and flax seed oil.  All
better absorbed and utilized than animal fat.  Oh yes, the animal fat is
preserved with Vit E.  Research has shown that it only lasts 9 weeks before
going rancid once exposed to the air.  My dogs eat carrots, green beans,
squashs, a little beet, and broccalli sometimes put through the food
processor for every meal.  Also, they get raw stew beef (which Mikey scarfs
up in nothing flat) and fish of some variety about 4 times a week - tuna,
mackeral, salmon, sardines.
 
I am also on a list for people who make their own dog food, mainly because
we are tired of having our dogs die early from cancer and other major health
problems.  It has become a major concern for almost every person who has
been in dogs for a while and there are alot of breeders changing over also.
I do feed my ferrets the dry food but I see nothing wrong with an
occassional meal from the dogs.  I think we have become a society of fast
food, processed foods and wanting fast results.  I know most of you on the
list are not that way, sorry, just my two cents worth about society in
general.
 
I vaccinate my dogs only about every 3 years.  Because they are out and
getting exposed to viruses, their immune system is getting "perked" back up.
I also do titers on them.  If one dog is low, then that dog gets vaccinated.
I know I can't do that with my ferrets but I do worry about the effects of
the vaccines on these guys.  One of my ferrets (Baboo) had a reaction.  For
24 hours he slept, would only move when I would check on him, and would not
eat.  Baboo was vaccinated with the ferret vaccine.  I have considered doing
titers on my fuzzies.  Has anyone else checked into this?  Cats are having
sarcomas (tumors) from the injection site of some vaccines.  Even though it
is a cat vaccine that is causing this, maybe we should keep note of the
where the vaccine is injected in our ferrets?  Sorry for the preaching but
it has taken me over 30 years in dogs and loosing a VERY special 2 year old
male to cancer to push me into making my own dog food.  I have seen a
noticable improvement in my dogs since then so can only think it will help
my other 4 legged babies also.  Love them while you have them!  Mary
[Posted in FML issue 2218]