I was going to stay out of this, but....

As one person pointed out in yesterday's FML, Totally Ferret has done a
lot for the ferret community, and especially for ferret shelters. They
should be applauded for that. I suspect that many people not involved
with the shelter community are not aware of just how much food Totally
Ferret donates. To be honest, I don't know, either, but I know some of
what they have done, and it is a lot. As a company, I respect them for
giving back to the people who support them.

Yes, at one time years ago, there was an issue with a batch of Totally
Ferret, and before it became widely known, some ferrets did get very
sick. As soon as the problem was discovered, though, the people at
Totally Ferret did their best to make public the information, and also
to determine the source of the problem, and get it fixed. Again, as a
company, I respect them for this.

And, I feel that at least to some extent they do listen to ferret
owners and try to provide what people want.

All that said, I do not use Totally Ferret, and no longer recommend it
to ferret owners or to people who by my kits. Why - because it contains
grains. I feed only grain free kibbles myself, in addition to raw prey
and commercially prepared raw foods.

Grains are high in protein, but protein from grains is very bad for
ferrets. Protein from grains and other plants is a major cause of some
types of bladder and kidney stones, and is also very hard on a ferret's
kidneys. And, while all kibbles contain some plant material, and
therefore some plant protein, grains tend to have higher protein
contents then many of the other plant materials used.

I have posted this before, and I would suggest that everyone read the
article "Rethinking the Ferret Diet" by Susan Brown, DVM, which can be
found at the following link.

Rethinking The Ferret Diet - VeterinaryPartner.com - a VIN company!
<http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=479&S=1&SourceID=43>

Below is one paragraph from the article.

Because of the short GI tract and the poor absorption of nutrients,
ferrets require a diet that is highly concentrated with FAT as the
main source of calories (energy) and highly digestible MEAT-BASED
PROTEIN. This would match the basic composition of a prey animal not
excluding the essential vitamins and minerals it also contains.
Ferrets should never be fed carbohydrates (such as vegetable, fruit
or grains) as the main source of energy in the diet. Ferrets cannot
digest fiber, as is found in some vegetable and fruit sources. If
there is a significant amount of fiber in the diet it serves to lower
the nutritional value of the food. As mentioned, ferrets need a highly
digestible meat-based protein in the diet. Vegetable protein is poorly
utilized. In the presence of excess vegetable protein the ferret can
suffer from such diseases as bladder stones, poor coat and skin
quality, eosinophilic gastroenteritis (wasting, diarrhea, ulcerations
of the skin and ear tips and swollen feet) poor growth of kits and
decreased reproduction. Dog food and vegetarian-type pet foods are
completely inappropriate for use in ferrets because of the high level
of vegetable protein and fiber. The bottom line is that ferrets use
fat for energy not carbohydrates and they need a highly digestible
meat-based protein not vegetable protein.

Pet food manufacturers are required to list ingredients by their
weight. In other words, the ingredient with the highest weight is
listed first, the second heaviest second, etc. However, there is no
requirement that the ingredients be weighed in the same state or form.
Thus, meat and meat products are usually measured wet, while grains
and some other plant matter are weighed dry. So, even if the first 2
ingredients are meat based, if the third ingredient is a grain, then
the protein content may be coming from meat based products may be
only about 30 to 50%, because the dry grain will weigh less, but may
actually be greater in volume . And that means that as much as half
the protein in the food may be poorly utilized by the ferret.

Although I personally feed raw to my ferrets, I do not believe that it
is necessary to feed raw foods to provide ferrets with the nutrition
that they need. However, I do believe that when feeding a kibbled diet,
it is important to feed one that is grain free, and as low as possible
in other plant matter.

Danee DeVore

ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit:
<http://www.ferretadv.com>
ADV - Find out how you can help:
http://help4adv.terrabox.com/

[Posted in FML 6836]