This is not meant to debate one feeding method over another, but simply
some food for thought for everyone on feeding issues. I would hope that
everyone would keep an open mind to feeding issues, whether or not they
agree with particular feeding methods.

First, let me start by saying that any "opinions" expressed in this
post are my own, and do not reflect the views or positions of any
ferret organizations I am affiliated with.

Second, I apologize for the length of this post, but the fact is, there
is a lot of information to cover. I hope that anyone who bothers to
read this will find at least some of the information useful, and if
nothing else, will go away with something to think about.

As I have stated before, while I feed primarily a whole prey diet to my
ferrets, I feel that all methods of feeding have both pros and cons,
and it is up to the individual ferret owner to educate themselves on
ferret nutrition, and then decide what method works best for them.

There are many claims made by some who feed raw diets, whether prey or
just raw pieces, about how much healthier the diet is. But, will time
prove this to be true?

For over 20 years I fed my ferrets a kibble diet. During that time,
I never had a single ferret with any dental problems (other than a
fractured canine that was caused by an injury). I did have some
insulinoma problems early on, but after I quit giving sugary treats,
that pretty much stopped. The only time I had ferrets with IBD was when
I had ADV positive ferrets. Some of my ADV+ ferrets did develop IBD.
So, over the long term, my experience leads me to believe that a high
quality kibble is not the main cause of ferret health problems.

That is not to say that I don't think that nutrition is an important
factor in a ferrets overall health. Nutrition is definitely a factor,
and the wrong diet can definitely contribute to health problems. But,
it is my opinion that ferrets can receive proper nutrition through a
kibble diet, just as if not done properly, feeding raw can provide an
unbalanced diet that does not provide proper nutrition.

Let's look at some of the main ferret problems.

Adrenal disease - I think we all pretty much agree that while feeding
a diet lacking proper nutrition might play into overall poor health,
and possibly even adrenal disease, as long as a high quality kibble is
used, diet is not likely to affect adrenal disease. Adrenal disease
seems to be more related to genetics, improper photo periods, and
possibly early spay/neutering. The one exception to that is if kibbles
containing soy are used. While there has not been any studies on the
subject, I know several vets who recommend avoiding soy in a ferrets
diet.

Soy contains isoflavones (one of which is phytoestrogen), which are
plant versions of hormones. Feeding soy products to ferrets may (and
there are so far no studies that prove or disprove this) cause adrenal
problems. There have been some studies with soy, though, that show that
rodents like hamsters and rats reach puberty much faster when fed a
diet that contains soy. Additionally, some newer studies have indicated
that soy "might" actually increase the risk of breast cancer in women.
So, while there is nothing concrete to show that soy is bad for
ferrets, my personal opinion is that until it is shown conclusively to
be safe, it is best to avoid foods and treats that contain soy.

IBD - except when I had ferrets with ADV, I have not really had a
problem with IBD in my ferrets. However, in the last 5 to 10 years,
there does seem to be a great increase in the number of ferrets with
IBD and other intestinal problems. I am not sure why this is. It does
seem that most of the cases I have heard about are in farm ferrets and
not privately bred ferrets, so there may be some genetic factors at
play. I have also heard from several vets that there might be a
connection between untreated adrenal disease and IBD. Since the farm
ferrets seem to develop adrenal disease more frequently and at an
earlier age than privately bred late alter ferrets, that may be part
of the explanation.

My personal opinion is that if feeding kibble is a factor in causing
IBD, then it is feeding kibble that contains grains. IBD is an
inflammatory disease, and can be caused by any constant irritation of
the bowels. Grains are known to be a big source of food allergies in
humans, cats, dogs, and other animals. While no studies have been done
to show if they are also a major source of food allergies in ferrets,
it is likely that they are. Feeding a food that the animal is allergic
to may cause an inflammatory reaction in the gut, and may lead to IBD.
This is just one of the reasons that I personally recommend that people
avoid kibbles that contain grains, although there are other reasons as
well.

About 8 or 10 years ago, a lot of us were seeing ferrets developing
food allergies to the kibbles we were feeding, and many of us assumed
it was an allergy to chicken. I was among that group. Unfortunately, it
was very hard to find a kibble that did not contain chicken, but still
met a ferret's nutritional requirements, and so some of us went to
feeding cooked turkey and supplements, or a canned food. Many canned
foods do not contain grains, and so when changing the diet solved the
problem, we were even more convinced the problem was a chicken allergy.

Now, in hindsight, I think it is more likely that it was an allergy to
grains. I did find that my ferrets who could not eat a chicken based
kibble could eat chicken baby food. At that time, there were no grain
free kibbles on the market.

Today, we have some very high quality grain free kibbles to choose
from. It would be nice if we could make a kibble that does not contain
any plant matter, but for now, that does not seem possible. So, my
personal recommendation to people who feed kibble is to feed only
grain free kibble.

Insulinoma - someone suggested the other day that feeding kibble could
increase the likelihood of a ferret developing insulinoma, because the
kibble will cause spikes and drops in the BG level. Personally, I think
the opposite is true, if a high quality kibble is used. First of all
because most ferrets that are fed only kibble do not eat a meal, but
instead eat little bits on and off throughout the day. By eating many
small meals, they are far more likely to maintain a steady BG level
than if they ate 1 or 2 large meals. It is when a large meal is
consumed that BG spikes are more likely to occur. Also, foods high in
animal based protein, like the high quality kibbles have, will not
cause a BG spike, but will help a ferret maintain a steady level.

Simple sugars are what are believed to contribute to the onset of
insulinoma. Now, again, we have no definitive scientific study that
proves this, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence around, and
even many vets will say it is likely (though not proven) that sugars
can lead to insulinoma.

High quality kibbles do not contain simple sugars. They do contain
starches, which are another carbohydrate, but starches take the system
a lot longer to convert to a simple sugar. Now, it is true that ferrets
do not need carbohydrates in their diet. Ferrets use fat for energy,
not sugars, but starches, while unnecessary, have not been accused
of causing insulinomas. And, again, because the starches take time
to convert to sugars, they do not cause spikes in the BG levels,
especially if the ferret is eating small meals of kibble frequently.

Long distance runners eat diets high in starches for the very reason
that they raise the BG level, but don't spike it. Starches provide
energy for humans over a prolonged period.

There is even a very ferret knowledgeable vet who has been doing some
research and now recommends the use of Cosequin for cats as a treatment
for insulinoma. I do not know if she has published her findings yet,
but I do know people who are using Cosequin for cats, and have found
it to be very helpful in controlling insulinoma along with pred and
diazoxide. One of the primary ingredients of Cosequin is glucosamine
(Cosequin is sold as a treatment for arthritis pain). Glucosamine is a
complex sugar, or an amino sugar. Because it is a complex sugar, it is
metabolized very slowly. Apparently, the thinking behind using it with
ferrets with insulinoma is that because it is metabolized slowly, it
helps to keep the BG level more constant. I do know that the people I
know who are using it say it helps a lot to keep the BG level of their
insulinomic ferrets at a safe level, without spikes and dips.

So, the bottom line here is that I do not believe that a diet of a high
quality kibble will make a ferret more likely to develop insulinoma,
and I don't know of any scientific evidence that would support the
theory that kibble can cause insulinoma, either.

So, now that I have dealt with kibble and several health issues, let
me talk about a raw or prey diet.

Some people had asked about switching from kibble to raw, and Kim
wrote explaining what she does. Kim has more experience than I do with
switching ferrets, and what she wrote is perfectly fine. Again, there
is no one right way to do it, and different people use different
techniques.

I have ferrets that eat whole prey, but will not touch a piece of
chicken wing or chicken leg, or if they do, they will only eat the meat
off the bone. I have had no luck getting my prey eating ferrets to eat
raw meaty bones.

It is important to remember that ferrets are raw prey eaters, and not
raw meat eaters. In addition to the muscle meat that we eat, they need
bones and organ meats. So, if a ferret is eating the meat off the
bones, but not eating the bones, than they either will need some kibble
or a calcium supplement to meet their nutritional needs. My ferrets
will happily tear into a chick or an adult mouse, but give them
anything larger than a young rat, and they ignore it.

I know several people that do feed live prey, and while I do not
condemn the practice, I also do not recommend it. I base this choice
on information gotten from Dr. Susan Brown at the Portland Ferret
Symposium. Dr. Brown is a vet who encourages feeding a prey diet,
and who spoke on ferret nutrition at the Symposium. She recommends
not feeding live prey for several reasons. First, she considers it
inhumane. Yes, a ferret usually kills the prey very quickly, but not
always. And, even if the kill is quick, there is still the fear before
the fatal blow to the prey animal. Second, if the prey does fight back,
there is always the possibility it will bite the ferret. Just like
human mouths, animal mouths are filled with bacteria. Any bite that
breaks the skin can cause infection. Finally, mice and rats sold in pet
stores, especially those sold as feeder animals, are more likely to
host parasites than prey animals sold by reputable dealers of frozen
prey. So, it is healthier to feed pre-killed frozen prey. Under no
circumstances should wild caught animals ever be fed.

For people who want to provide their ferrets with raw food, but do not
want to feed prey, there are commercially prepared raw diets. They come
ground up, and looking like hamburger, but contain the bones and organ
meats in addition to the muscle meat. The one disadvantage to this kind
of diet is it will not help to clean the teeth, and may even contribute
to the formation of tartar. People who choose to go this route will
need to keep an eye on their ferrets teeth for possible tartar build-up
and gum disease.

Anyway, that is about all I have to say on this go round of the great
food debate. The best advice I can give anyone on this subject is to
keep an open mind, and read and learn as much as you can about ferret
nutrition. No one has all the answers, and right now the best anyone
has are theories. Learning about both sides of the controversy will
help you make better choices.

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 6896]