Continuing to perpetuate MISinformation regarding raw diets while
putting kibble diets on a pedestal is NOT going to help ferrets reach
their optimal health!
(>Suki's coments)
>Well, speaking as someone with 27 years of ferrets in the family:
Doing something for "27 years" does NOT equate to doing something
beneficial or correct- just notes that something being done has
become a habit.
>Totally Ferret makes nicely balanced foods.
While I have fed Totally Ferret foods in the past and do recommend them
if people insist on offering kibble they CANNOT claim to be balanced
because there have not been ANY studies done to PROVE nutritional
requirements of ferrets beyond the fact they are obligate carnivores!
NO kibble manufacturer knows the nutrient requirements of ferrets and
therefore CANNOT possibly make a "balanced" or "Nutritionally complete"
kibble. The mere fact that ANY kibble being produced already has large
amounts of plant products within it already negates the "obligate
carnivore" aspect as well as being "properly balanced" or "beneficial"!
The plant items within the kibble are there NOT to benefit the ferret,
which cannot even digest the stuff- but instead to reduce the cost of
making the kibble and to create some sort of glue to bind the recipe
together and to allow the product to come within the advertised
percentages.
There are no laws or guidelines in effect that state a mfr. must list
the AVAILABLE protein percentages or AVAILABLE fat percentages nor from
which portion of the kibble those percentages are derived from. The
mfr is only required to state the TOTAL percentage within the kibble
and usually only the MINIMUM percentage. The protein level listed is
derived from both plant AND animal sources (meat AND bone - bone is
very HIGH in protein but not amino acids). So the kibble being fed
could have a very high protein level- but it isn't available to the
ferret's system, nor beneficial. Fats too are often from vegetable
sources but not as available to the ferret as animal fats.
>No food is perfect and none is a complete villain (except many cheap
>pet foods, foods not made for carnivores, and unbalanced diets of any
>type).
Natural foods ARE perfect for the ferret to eat, raw meaty bones, whole
prey are perfectly utilized by the ferret's system. Because the kibble
manufacturers do not know what constitutes a properly balanced diet for
ferrets- they cannot create a recipe which will offer a balanced diet.
Because kibble manufacturers are looking out for their bottom line -
the batch of kibble made this week will be different from the batch of
kibble they make next week due to market cost influences. If there is a
glut of animal carcasses the animal proteins will cost less and there
will be more animal proteins in the mix, but if corn or wheat or soy is
cheaper this week there will be more of these plant sources in the mix-
yet the protein levels will fall within their advertised percentages.
A product made from large amounts of indigestible sources is not a
"balanced diet", regardless of the advertised claims on the bag.
It is VERY easy for a natural fed ferret to get consistent quality food
items from varied sources. The variety of sources is what offers the
ferret "balanced Nutrition". Just as our own diets are balanced over
time - not one of us sits down to a meal that has every last nutrient
we need. Anyone that ventures into a natural diet for their ferrets
does so by first asking questions and they are guided to offer complete
forms of appropriate food for their ferrets, which consists of raw
edible bones, egg shells, connective tissues, skins and even fur,
scales, claws from those that offer whole prey!
>Kibbles wear teeth
Because when the kibble is crunched it is akin to the ferret having to
constantly crack through a large dry bone. Only the points of the teeth
get used and usually the ferret has one side they prefer to utilize.
Feeding natural food allows more meat shearing action from the teeth
and only a small amount of crunching RAW bones, which are softer than
kibble. Whole prey have very easily crushed bones.
Kibbles have high amounts of sweeteners and carbs, these WILL and DO
cause plaque build up, because the teeth don't get utilized properly.
The food particles cling to the teeth and soon the plaque turns into
tartar. According to the ADA, Lysterine, Crest, and vets - a build up
of plaque and tartar DO and CAN cause gingivitus- which creates other
problems for the teeth which contributes to other problems elsewhere
in the body.
>The only other anti-kibble hypothesis with any teeth (Forgive the
>pun.) is that the carbohydrates *might* increase rates of insulinoma...
Do we absolutely NEED scientific confirmation that constantly forcing
the ferret's system to try and utilize food it wasn't designed to
digest at every meal causes the ferret to endure systemic health
problems? Aren't all the 3 and 4 year old ferrets on kibble diets
succumbing to insulinoma proof enough that kibble is the root of this
malady? Practically EVERY, if not EVERY, kibble manufacturer recognizes
that ferrets have unique digestive needs, they use the term "obligate
carnivore" upon their labels, yet they STILL create a product with
tremendous amounts of plant products and ferrets continue to succumb to
insulinoma! First hand information from people who have raised ferrets
for generations on all natural diets do NOT have ferrets dieing slow
deaths from insulinoma! There are other species of animals suffering
from insulinoma issues and these are animals designed to eat plants!
The problem they are experiencing stems from the ADDED sweeteners mixed
to add "palatibility"(addiction). Kibble mfrs. not only add plant
matter, they also add sweeteners which adds to the carbohydrate load
that ferrets are not designed to digest!
>The problems with raw are infections.
This is outright propaganda and fear mongering! There are plenty of
ferrets on kibble diets suffering from food borne infections!
Especially when the kibble is manufactured with E. Coli, or Salmonella,
or moistened kibble becomes contaminated, or the kibble goes moldy in
the bag! Or the kibble causes IBD which is either created by, or
contributes to unbalanced gut flora and increases in coccidia bacteria.
Coccidia infections are VERY common with kibble fed ferrets! Coccidia
infections get passed back and forth from ferret to ferret and are
extremely difficult to eliminate! Ferrets fed raw natural diets are
often eating exactly what the human is eating, except the human cooks
their meat.
>Most do not get them but some do and at least three types of food borne
>infections are very hard to treat once contracted. Also, at least two
>food borne infections have caused lasting physical damage in assorted
>species, including two well done and independent studies showing
>chronic kidney damage in ferrets who have been through infection with
>one strain of E. coli bacteria.
Salmonella & E. Coli are bacteria that take several hours to establish
harmful colonies. These bacteria are EASILY found in kibble and will
repeatedly get fed to the ferret also. The ferret's digestive tract
works in three to four hours, so unless the ferret is already suffering
from a depressed immune system these bacterial infections are not life
threatening. Natural feeders are able to analyze the food source more
closely than you can a bag of kibble. Even still, it is NOT uncommon
for natural fed ferrets to stash a food item and happily devour the
odoriferous piece many days later without so much as a runny poop!
Natural feeders can have much more control over what their ferrets eat,
they can control the quality of the raw items, they can even raise the
whole prey offered and monitor what that prey was raised upon also.
Feeding ferrets naturally DOES offer them a perfectly good, safe and
balanced diet!
>The worst is an unbalanced diet, whether raw or cooked or purchased.
Plants are NOT appropriate food sources so already any kibble is
already "unbalanced" no matter how many vitamins and minerals are
added or microbes are sprayed on! A product made from large amounts
of indigestible sources is not a "balanced diet", regardless of the
advertised claims on the bag.
>Meat is NOT sufficient by itself. Those who make at home have to
>provide organs, skin, a calcium source, etc.
Natural feeders do NOT feed JUST meat and they never advise anyone new
to the program to do so either.
>Just remember that nothing is perfect, balance the diet if homemade,
>and learn the downsides and possible downsides of each thing you give
>so that you can respond if the medical problem arises.
Ferrets fed naturally become extremely healthy so medical issues often
become a thing of the past! Ferrets already suffering from insulinoma
cannot be saved by an all natural diet, but they CAN benefit immensely
from the improved nutrition and relief from the burden placed upon
their already kibble ravaged organs. Ferrets suffering from IBD are
often helped with all natural diets and their gut flora usually return
to a normal level. Adrenal issues aren't assuaged by a change in diet,
but usually once people start researching more natural ways of feeding
they are also learning more natural ways of housing and lighting and
exercise so this often helps the adrenal ferrets too.
Its hard to let go of the comfort zone offered by the fancy labels and
sweet ferret faces and feel good comments displayed on bag after bag
of kibble, especially if one has fed those kibbles for "27 years". But
there are many ferret owners who have been offering their ferrets for
generations a natural diet and the ferrets live long, healthy active
lives - not 4,5 or 6 years - but 8 to 12 years! This is information
that while not acquired in some cold distant laboratory, but instead
from real life and real people is never-the-less notable proof that
feeding ferrets what they were designed to eat will offer them optimal
health!
It doesn't do any of the new ferret owners any good to consistently
spout off ominous hazards and warnings of infections if feeding raw,
while touting the imaginary balance nutrients of kibble and negating
the obvious connection of kibble and ill health. Dieing from insulinoma
is NOT and should not be a natural end for a ferret! Buying kibbles and
forcing the ferret to eat palnt matters and sugars it wasn't designed
by nature to eat is not offering the ferret optimal health.
Regards,
Kim
[Posted in FML 6060]
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