DUCK SOUPS:
 
There are literally hundreds of duck soup concoctions available on the
internet, recommended by friends or pushed by shelter people.  Each one
is touted as "life saving," "responsible for my ferrets survival," and
"necessary for life."  I am quite sure the people making these claims
believe them, but the cold hard facts are often quite different (if that
phrase alone will not increase my popularity, wait until you hear what I
have to say next!).  Many of these brews are devised in the "if it is
good for humans, it will be good for ferrets" camp, while others belong
to the "if they need it, let's add it" group.  Both groups are absolutely
convinced their potions meet whatever supplemental requirement they see
as missing, although rarely are ferret nutritional needs assessed prior
to administering the supplements, and even less commonly done are
chemistry panels to determine a ferret's actual need and length of
supplemental therapy.
 
The problem is, there is a singular lack of demonstrable evidence that
these potions are even the slightest bit effective!  Sure, sure, sure,
there are plenty of stories saying they work and save lives, but NO PROOF
other than heart-rending anecdotes is ever offered.  Here is the problem
with anecdotal evidence.  Suppose it is a statistical certainty 30% of
ferrets with a particular disease die within a year if left untreated.
Shelter XYZ and Person 123 feed a duck soup potion to their ferrets that
have the disease and have found 70% survive more than a year!  Does that
mean the duck soup brew is effective?  Not at all -- those ferrets in the
70% group would have survived anyway!  What if 80% survive?  Was the
extra 10% because of the duck soup?  Perhaps, but it could have just as
easily have been a statistical anomaly based on a small population size,
other medicine or treatment, excellent nursing care, misdiagnosis, less
virulent form of the disease, different points on the disease curve,
blind luck, or any number of other factors left uncontrolled in this
unsanctioned medical experimentation.  On the other hand, if we know 30%
of the ferrets will die if untreated, and statistically XYZ and 123 are
losing 30% of their population to the disease, THAT means the duck soup
potion they are administering offers no more help than if the ferrets
were left untreated.  See the problem?  It LOOKS like the duck soup is
an effective treatment because 70% of the ferrets are surviving, but a
closer look at the data shows you might as well be doing nothing.
 
Yet, many duck soup proponents see what is a statistically normal
survival rate and attribute the success to their magic potion!  I have
seen this many times on the FML during the last few years.  The cold,
hard fact is that there is NO evidence ANY duck soup does anything
other than fill the ferret's belly.  If asked, users will ALL cite
melodramatic, heart-rending anecdotes about surviving ferrets, but we
never learn how many ferrets consume the concoction, if consuming the
stuff actually lowers the death rate or increases recovery, or if there
are potential side effects due to the administration of untested
supplements.  All we actually know is that the duck soup "pusher" THINKS
the tonic will cure a ferret with a belief that can exceed religious
faith.  In fact, the opposite can be very true.
 
One last comment on duck soup and I'll bury the issue.  When I rant about
duck soup potions, it is not directed at Lucki Duck Soup, or those of
similar formulations, but instead those filled with ferret-untested
additives and supplements.  I have no real objection to the original
Lucki Duck soup, which was basically Sustacal and water soaked kibble,
blended into a slurry, or similar benign formulations.
 
Bob C
[Posted in FML issue 4406]