One of my favorite topics. :)
 
>From:    Kaye FitzGerald Gorham <[log in to unmask]>
>Why do you US chaps not advise the feeding of raw meat to your ferrets?  It
>would be their natural food "in the wild" and contains all of their needs
>if you feed whole carcass rather than chopped up meat.
 
First off, the disclaimer: while I don't have trained ferret biology or
nutrition credentials, I've done a whole darn lot of research into the
subject and talked to a lot of people, including people responsible for
creating premium dry ferret diets and people who've created complete raw
meat diets here in the U.S., as well as people outside of this country who
feed all-raw or a diet with more variety than most U.S. ferrets typically
see.  This does not make me an expert, and I'm always open to listening to
new ideas, but one thing I refuse to agree with is that raw meat and raw
bone are BAD for a healthy ferret.
 
To address some of Kaye's questions: I think a lot of people in the U.S.
feed primarily dry commercial foods to their ferrets with no or very few
supplements (Ferretone, Ferretvite).  Maybe it's the packaging &
advertising, the perceived convenience, or a now nearly cultural belief that
us pet owners don't and can't provide expert care for our pets without the
help of a 'professional.' I could speculate all day, but I'd probably just
make people mad. :)  It is the case with me, however, that it is simple,
fast, and convenient to put dry food into a bowl and to count on it to
provide a 'complete' diet for my ferrets.
 
There is also a pretty gigantic prejudice in this country against raw meat
because eating raw or undercooked meat makes us people sick.  Why?  There
are germs on it.  Therefore, raw meat must be bad for everything!  I know
lots of people who have had to 'get over' the idea that feeding raw meat to
their carnivorous pets is going to make their pets sick.  My vets
universally yell at me when I bring up the topic of raw meat.  I ask them if
they've ever seen a case where eating raw meat has made a ferret sick, They
can't come up with any cases to tell me about, but they yell anyway.  I am
not saying that cats, dogs, and ferrets can't get salmonella or E. coli -
just that the risk may be a lot lower than you think (however, you should
introduce raw meat to a pet's diet slowly & gradually increase the amount
you're giving them so their digestive flora has time to adjust).
 
Think about it this way if the idea of feeding your ferret raw meat bothers
you: why do you think your ferret has a stashing behavior?  I'm not Bob C,
but let's speculate it's because polecats stash their kills.  What's worse
about clean, prepared beef or chicken than about a polecat going back to a
2-day-old kill and finishing it off?  I'm probably wrong, but it
illlustrates a point - our ferrets have digestive systems that evolved to
deal with these 'germs.' Of course *our* digestive systems can't deal with
germs found in raw meat!  Conversely, ferret digestive systems can't deal
with an excess of fiber, yet humans come down with all sorts of nasty
ailments if fiber is missing from our diets.  We are fundamentally different
and we have to treat our pets differently.
 
That aside, I'm not advocating that anyone go out and create a diet for
their ferrets based on raw chicken thigh chunks.  Diets are much more
complex than that and you're being irresponsible about your ferrets' health
by doing such a thing.  Nor am I advocating that you leave raw meat lying
around in a dish for 2 days waiting for your ferret to eat it.  This brings
me to my next point and response:
 
There are disturbingly few resources out there for us who are interested in
ferret nutrition.  If someone in the U.S. wanted to feed their ferret a raw
meat-based diet, they'd have to do what I did and talk to 50 gazillion
people, instead of asking their vet or referring to a local ferreter.  All
U.S. sources say, "Feed a dry premium complete ferret diet" with very few
exceptions.  Many sources insist that raw meat should never be fed to a pet.
Probably the biggest direct reason that U.S. ferret owners don't include raw
meat & bones in our pets' diets is because we're told not to.
 
I have another thought exercise: what do you think the domesticated ferret
ate 2,000 years ago?  8 in 1 or Iams?
 
To summarize, the availability of dry complete foods is a godsend.  Trying
to come up with a homemade diet for my ferrets has made me pull out my hair
and gnash my teeth, but there's no reason to do so as all of the essential
vitamins and minerals are provided already for me.  However, that shouldn't
stop me from doing what I feel 'rounds out' my pets' diets by providing raw
meat, raw bones, raw squishy icky gizzards, or raw fish along with their
kibbled staple.  Perhaps I'm a new age hippie, but I harbor strong
suspicions that 'complete' ferret dry diets lack the completeness of a more
primitive, whole carcass-based diet.
 
That aside, what do I feed my ferrets?  Totally Ferret, primarily.  To those
who will eat it, raw chicken and chicken organs.  No bones yet, but I know
plenty of people who let their ferrets eat raw bones and none of those
ferrets have suffered for it.  Yogurt, cooked vegetables, fruits, all in
moderation.  Anything they want to try, I'll let them try.  Of my ferrets,
who eats what?  Easel eats raw chicken, duck soup, and TF.  No health
problems with her so far.  Noodle, Friday, and Potpie all get duck soup and
TF and won't eat raw meat.  All three get sick, but are typically healthy.
This proves nothing, of course, but I figured someone would ask.
 
Yes, you CAN hurt your ferrets by feeding them the wrong things.  You can
screw up and end up with a malnourished and ailing ferret - so make sure you
do your research and gathering of info before you jump into this.
 
As far as squeamishness about raw meat handling and cleanliness issues -
hey, we're all certified Poopologists, and if we can stomach handling 'what
comes out' I'm sure we can deal with 'what goes in.' :)
 
Melissa
[Posted in FML issue 2123]