When I asked my vet about using a Raw diet for ferrets. Her response
was interesting. She basically told me that pretty much all the
specialist from US Davis that she frequently consults were anti-raw.
However, she also told me about one of her clients that feeds their
ferrets raw & they are by far the healthiest & longest lived ferrets
she has ever seen. They actually die from old age between 11 to 13 yrs.
with no sign of the traditional insulinomas & their coats are thick &
shiny all the way up to their death. What she did say is that a ferrets
digestive tract is quite short & they are far less likely to have a
problem with Salmonella than us humans. That being said, her biggest
concern with using raw, was that it should be handled appropriately for
human safety. She basically advised me if I were to feed ferrets a raw
diet to be very diligent about washing my hands, bleaching countertops
where I do the food preparation. If I remember correctly, she also
mentioned to be cognizant of Salmonella in their poop. As to why many
"specialist" are anti raw might have to do with the fact many of our
universities in the US are funded by special interest groups. A recipe
for disaster.

[Posted in FML 7194]