>http://www.afip.org/ferrets/Clin_Path/ClinPath.html
>and this (but take into account the note at the beginning of the
>message above)
>http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/physiology.htm
 
hi Sukie,
 
Thanks for those links :)
 
I was actually reading over the first link very recently as I was
contacted by a ferret owner who's vet had diagnosed her ferret with
"liver disease".  When I asked if the ferret had been fasted before the
blood test she told me she had.  Hopefully the vet learn a bit more about
liver values / fasting, just as I had when I initially found the article.
 
In my limited understanding of physiology, this appears to me to be a
trait designed to help the animal get energy when food temporarily isn't
available.  What I haven't been able to find is any reference that
certain times without food are HARMFUL, and to which parts of the body.
If anyone knows of any links/info about this, I'd love to read them.
 
>(BTW, going too long without eating can also kill cats; an elderly
>couple we know recently lost a cherished cat because they figured
>that the cat would alright in a few days, but going several days
>without eating caused so much liver damage that the cat died from
>complications of hepatic lipidosis despite a 6 week fight to try to
>save her.)
 
(Sorry if I'm going even more off topic here Bill!) I've also read about
this, and the RawCat list recommends switching cat's diets slowly for
this very reason.
 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rawcat/
 
Luckily my cats were only too happy to switch to a natural diet, so I'm
grateful for not having fussy cats on that aspect!
 
>Remember that ferrets, like polecat relatives, STASH food, a behavior
>which reduces the time that either one goes without eating.
>Polecats' main activity times are crepuscular ones (dusk and dawn)
>but even if not every hunt is successful (and not all will be) the
>stashed food has to be taken into account when considering how often
>they eat, also smaller food sources possibly not noticed (such as
>insects, worms, or eggs) have to be taken into account.  It is
>inaccurate to base when polecat has eaten solely on times when one
>drags back a carcass. The two things are not the same, a salient
>point which is too often missed.
 
Absolutely.  Do you have any more information about this?  Which foods
are stashed, quantities, when stashes run out, etc?
 
And you've reminded me of another interesting addition to a natural diet:
insects!
 
Great for treats, and available from many reptile suppliers:
http://www.zoomed.com/html/canos.php
 
One of my boys loves the snails and worms :)
 
shona
[Posted in FML issue 5206]