Q:"If feeding a ferret soft foods is bad, what is the gravy doing to their
teeth? ....Having seen the teeth of ferrets in the shelter on a soft diet
only (and associated tartar and gingivitis), I was a little concerned."
A: Don't snap at me or bite my head off! I won't brush you off; I'll tell
the tooth! Chew on these answers, and don't be too enameled with them...
This is a great question and I'm glad it was asked, especially since I have
been well-trained in the issues it raises as part of my bone training (I
love it when I actually know something!). In regards to domesticated
ferrets and dental problems relating to diet, there are seven basic things
to worry about; attrition (dental wear), fracturing (broken teeth), caries
(cavities), plaque (tartar), gingivitis (gum disease), abcesses (bone or
tooth infections) and avulsion (tooth loss). Regardless of diet (natural
based or kibbled, soft or hard), any of these problems can show up in
individual animals, especially those kept in cages where teeth can suffer
microfractures or actually break while cage bar chewing, falling, or
roughhousing.
First, to say a soft diet causes dental problems is inaccurate and
misleading. The real problem is not the softness of the diet, nor the size
of particles consumed, but in the composition of the food and to a lesser
degree, its stickiness. By far the worst food in the mouth are starchy
carbohydrates; this is especially true in mammals that evolved consuming
animals rather than plants, including people and ferrets (one of the best
proofs of grain-based agriculture is the nasty state of human teeth).
These starches tend to stick to teeth, cause a chemical reaction to calcify
those deposits, and provide food for nasty germs. In one study, carnivores
eating grain-based soft foods were compared to those eating meat products
ground to the same particle size. The meat-eating animals had virtually no
dental problems, while those eating the grain-based foods had nearly a 90%
dental pathology rate. Incredible!! My research comparing domestic
animals to wild ones support this finding.
Let me compare a natural diet, kibble diet, a soft-food diet, and my
chicken gravy diet in relation to the problems I've listed above. You can
call this a simplistic dental risk assessment study based on diet if you
wish. The risks are based on real studies and personal experience, but in
all honesty, some have no scientific data to back up their inclusion into a
specific category and are included based on my experience and knowledge,
thus may be incorrect.
Attrition (dental wear):
Kibble = high risk, Soft Diet = low risk,
Chicken Gravy = low risk, Natural Diet = moderate risk.
Fracturing (broken teeth):
Kibble = low risk, Soft Diet = low risk,
Chicken Gravy = low risk, Natural Diet moderate risk.
Caries (cavities):
Kibble = moderate risk, Soft Diet moderate risk,
Chicken Gravy = low risk, Natural Diet = low risk.
Plaque (tartar):
Kibble = moderate risk, Soft Diet = high risk,
Chicken Gravy low risk, Natural Diet = low risk.
Gingivitis (gum disease):
Kibble moderate risk, Soft Diet = high risk,
Chicken Gravy = low risk, Natural Diet = low risk.
Abcesses (bone or tooth infections):
Kibble = moderate risk, Soft Diet = high risk,
Chicken Gravy low risk, Natural Diet = low risk.
Avulsion (tooth loss):
Kibble moderate risk, Soft Diet = high risk,
Chicken Gravy = low risk, Natural Diet = moderate risk.
If you notice, the natural diet and chicken gravy are roughly the same in
terms of risk. There are two main reasons why, one being that both are
compositionally similar and both exclude high amounts of starchy
carbohydrates. Most of the differences are due to mechanical abrasiveness
in the natural diet, which clean teeth, but also wears them down. In a
natural diet, the wear progresses slow enough so the animal still has teeth
at the end of its lifespan. Kibbled foods greatly increase the amount of
wear, and since they contain high amounts of starchy carbohydrates, they
increase the risk of serious gum disease. Kibble does decrease plaque,
however, just because you don't see plaque, it doesn't mean you can't have
gum disease--ask a dentist! Soft diets don't abrade the teeth, so the
sticky mess from a starch-based diet just coats teeth to form nasty plaque.
I have studied 113 pet ferret skulls, and 86 of them have reactive bone
along the gumline, 41 have bone infections, 27 have abcessed teeth and 22
have lost one or more teeth. These findings parallel similar problems in
dog and cat teeth. American pet teeth are horrible compared to wild
animals, and diet is the reason.
To tell the truth, my chicken gravy looks somewhat different compared to
many other people's versions, because I don't usually blend it down to a
paste. I make three versions; baby food-like, chunky peanut butter-like,
and kibble-sized hamburger-like. I usually give it in the hamburger form,
leaving the paste to be thinned down for sick ferrets. It is easier to
start them on the paste form, but then I work them up to the hamburger
form as soon as possible. The hamburger form would eliminate most of
the worries about pasty foods sticking to the teeth, and since the bone
fragments are a little larger (still quite safe), they help clean the
teeth. The bottom line is, I have *NEVER* had my ferret's teeth scaled;
they are clean and smooth, with no gum problems. They have a
sweet-smelling breath, and those who were adopted with dental problems have
since had the problems reverse (as in gum disease) or stop progressing (as
in cavities).
There are a lot of minor questions sent lately, and I have been thinking
that I might donate Sunday afternoon for an ICQ question-answer session. I
would need someone to volunteer to run the session, kick off the rude, warn
those who are off-subject, as well as save the session and provide me a
copy which could be uploaded to people who can't make it. The rules would
be simple; only questions about the gravy (visit with people somewhere
else) and no rudeness to people in the chat. If interested, email me and
I'll send you my ICQ number.
Bob C and 19 MO' Ferts 'O Fun
[Posted in FML issue 2634]
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