Kibble.  We all know its not so great, but what is the alternative?  Glad
you asked, because I'm busting a gut to tell you.  First of all, kibble
isn't great, but guess what?  Its really not all that bad either, especially
when it is used in a responsible and nutritious manner.  In other words, it
is an acceptable food by itself (well, barely); but if used in conjunction
with other foods, it can become the beans to the corn and become the
cornerstone of a balanced and nutritious diet.
 
A few myths to dispel.  Some people fear mixing food because they think it
might throw off the "balanced" part of a nutritious diet.  Yeah?  So when
people eat, is every meal perfectly balanced?  Does every healthy growing
child have a balanced meal each time they eat?  Of course not; as long as
the overall diet is balanced, and the missing parts are not too frequent nor
too severe, things will be fine.  A meal or two can be goofy without *any*
long- or even short-term damage.  The key words here are "moderation" and
"infrequent." Think of it this way; in the wild, predators normally kill and
eat those prey animals that are old, sickly or injured.  That means, the
carcass is not always prime, and may be low in fats or other nutrients.  So
the occasional meal might not meet nutritional standards, but it is made up
in the overall nutritional balance.  If your ferret is healthy, one or two
nutritionally poor meals a month is insignificant.
 
Another myth is that ferrets always have to have food available.  Sick
ferrets?  Yes, especially those weak, underweight or hypoglycemic ferrets,
but healthy ferrets?  No way.  In the wild, carnivores often go a couple of
days without food without ill effects.  That's what fat is for.  Healthy
ferrets can also go without food for a day without problems.  There is a
large body of literature that suggests animals given unlimited access to
food lead shorter lives (none of those tests were done on a ferret, so there
is no direct proof).  Still, neither wild polecats nor New Zealand feral
ferrets have a constantly filled bowl of kibble, yet they do just fine.  The
same is true for many working and pet ferrets in Europe, who are typically
fed twice a day, without ill effects.  So why the belief that ferrets need
to have a constant supply of food?
 
I think at least part of the reason lies in the kibble itself; even if the
starches were easy to digest, it is clear the major component is plant
grains rather than the first listed ingredient, so the ferrets are eating
lots of carbohydrates.  Since they need the protein and fats, but their
little stomachs can only hold so much, they have to eat more frequently to
get the proper amounts of nutrients.  This can make them fat, and can be a
factor in several diseases, including pancreatic and intestinal disease.
There is one other aspect of a kibble-only diet to be thought about.  Think
of a large holiday dinner and how you feel after gorging yourself on all the
carbohydrated goodies.  If you are typical, you get sleepy and want to nap
for a while.  This *might* be a factor in some ferrets who only seem to eat
and sleep and have very little play time, even when running free.
 
Yet another myth to discuss is the pet owner's ability to construct a
healthy diet for ferrets; the corollary being pet food makers know best.  So
many times I have read people say that adding supplements or other basic
food will "unbalance" a diet carefully prepared by the pet food industry.
What a crock of ferret poop.  First, who says the kibbled food is a complete
and balanced food?  Independent testers or the people marketing the food?
Strike one.  Second, if the nutritional requirements of ferrets is not
completely understood, how can *anyone* say the kibbled food is a balanced
and complete diet?  Strike two.  Finally, who says ferret owners lack the
ability to prepare a well balanced diet on their own, especially when they
are fully capable of dissecting poop for parasites and injested rubber, give
medications and sub-q injections and fluids, and can spot minute behavioral
changes indicitive of the onset of illnesses?  Strike three.  These
objections are marketing propaganda, they steal choices from the consumer,
and can actually reduce a ferret's quality of life.
 
The final myth is that because a ferret is domesticated, it no longer needs
the types of foods it evolved eating.  That is not how domestication works.
Some animals are bred for wool (sheep), some for strength (horses), some for
milk production (cows and goats), some for meat (chickens) and some to hunt
small furry rodents (cats and ferrets).  Those behavioral changes occur in
the brain, not in the gut, and unless something factual is proved, there is
NO correlation between diet and domestication.
 
I once ate dinner at a long-time vegetarian's house, and for desert we were
offered lime jello.  I mentioned in passing that jello was made from animal
gelatin and greatly upset my host.  They never made the connection before.
I have already recieved mail from people complaining that my advocation of
raw meat and bone was wrong when kibble is available.  Like jello, where
exactly does the meat or poultry byproducts come from?  Volunteers?  In
exactly what way is eating raw meat different from eating kibble made from
ground-up or dehydrated raw meat?  Like jello, there is no difference--
animal meat is animal meat-- regardless if it is a fresh chick carcass or
ground-up and dehydrated chicken parts.  Also, most enzymes, amino acids and
vitamins are extracts, NOT manufactured (very expensive, if even possible in
some cases).  Where do they come from?  There is *no* moral difference
between eating kibble compared to raw meat; they have similar origins.  The
only difference is how often the product is handled, processed, cooked,
ground-up, mixed with chemicals and extracts, etc., and how that effects the
ferret.  Personally, I think a humanely dispatched mouse is a better food,
morally and biologically, than the ground-up discards of butchered animals
cooked into "humane" kibbled foods.
 
Folks, predators are predators.  They are not evil for eating other animals,
nor should they be "saved" from their animal-based diet.  It is how a
healthy world works.  If such things disgust you, perhaps the problem is not
with the world, but with the way the world is percieved.  If you don't want
to eat meat then be a vegetarian--its your personal choice.  But it is
morally and biologically unethical to force a primary carnivore into
herbivory.  It's the dietary equivalent of vivisection because it overrides
the animal's natural dietary choice.
 
Bob C and 20 MO Antivividietarysectionists
[Posted in FML issue 2333]