Manfred Fischer wrote:
>... the protein % of EUKANUBA is guaranteed to be not less then 34%. I
>find it difficult to believe that one or two percentage points can make
>such a difference
>I would also say that I challenge Jennifer to list her sources for the
>comment regarding Ethoxyquin having been proved to cause cancers...
>I also have a problemwith the comment:
>(The problem with Eukanuba is that many animals have allergic reactions to
>it , cats, dogs and ferrets. Simply because of the chicken liver and fish
>meal that is contains.)
>After reading post after post from people that have claimed to feed their
>ferrets whole chicken carcasses, again, I challenge Jennifer to post her
>sources for the "many animals have allergic reactions"
When it is recommended that ferrets have a MINIMUM intake of 35% protein, it
is just that- a minimum percentage. It is ideal to actually feed 35+, and
the listing on Eukanuba CAT is that it contains no less than 34%.( And yes,
the few percentages can make a difference in health- maybe not a
significantly drastic one, but a difference.) I guess this is an okay amount
of protein, but the original question before all this craziness started was-
"What is the best thing to feed my ferrets. And Totally Ferret is better
than Eukanuba. period. It is formulated for ferrets, with a good source of
protein. If you want to feed your ferret kitten food, Iams is truly the
best. Actually you can feed your animals whatever you want, I was just
simply giving you my educated opinion, that's all. It comes down to this-
it is an individual's choice. I was just trying to give some help- you can
chose to listen or not- I just hope that you have healthy and happy ferrets.
Okay, now concerning the ethoxyquin. I found an article in DVM magazine (a
magazine published for veterinarians and technicians alike) a few months
back concerning that toxin- the research had shown results that it may
possibly caused cancer in dogs, but mostly in laboratory rats and mice.
Maybe it doesn't cause cancer (adrenal) in ferrets, but I am not going to
take that chance and find out later that it does. You may, but I chose to
avoid it entirely. Saccharin (Artificial sweetener) has also shown to cause
cancer in lab rats (in large doses) and many researchers think that it can
cause cancer in humans. I'm not sure, but I chose not to consume Saccharin.
I don't want to ignorantly consume or have my ferrets consume substances
that have unknown/unstable causes; that have caused cancer in any animal. I
would rather avoid it. You have the right to make that choice also.
And finally, the food allergy issue. You say that you want sources for the
many animals with allergies to chicken and fish. Well, I would first like
to say that my sources are the clients that I see on a regular basis at the
animal clinic that I work at. For example: an adult male Doberman pinscher
came in a few weeks ago with problems of constant scratching and biting.
His skin had patches of dry, flaky, red skin all over his body and other
parts where the skin was just plain raw from scratching. One of the very
first things we ask is- what do you feed him as the staple diet and have you
changed it recently. The owner then replied that no, they hadn't changed
the diet recently and were feeding him Eukanuba, Chicken and Rice. After a
thorough exam, my advising veterinarian suggested switching gradually over
to Nature's Recipe, Lamb and Rice. Within a week, there was a noticeable
difference in his skin. And within 2 weeks, it was completely gone. This
is just one case of allergic reactions to chicken- there have been numerous
cases- with cats, dogs and ferrets. The most common case of food allergies
concerning chicken with ferrets at our clinic, was chicken liver- also fish.
I would love to list you names of our clients' situations and their numbers,
but you obviously cannot expect that. If you do It is a violation of
privacy and is plain ridiculous. If you are in that much contest of what I
have said- do some research of your own. Call veterinarians in your area,
go to the library, etc. All I can say is that I see food allergy cases in
the clinic everyday- our veterinarians are food specialist- concentrating of
dogs, cats and ferrets. The most common one is chicken in dogs, and chicken
liver in ferrets. Eukanuba Cat Food contains chicken liver as one of the
first 3 ingredients- therefore it is not something I would recommend for
your ferret. Iams Kitten yes. Innova Feline Yes. Totally Ferret Yes. You
can choose to disregard this knowledge because of lack of sources, but
please ask yourself, why would I spend so much of my time and effort just to
feed you a bunch of garbage? I am not a salesperson opposing other brands
of food, just a vet tech and an animal lover. My postings have not been
filled with just opinion, but knowledge backed up by my experience and the
facts that I have learned through my profession. I know that it may seem
such a shock that carnivores have allergic reactions to meat products, but
it is very true- just ask your veterinarian. The only reason I post my
educated opinion here is to help those in need. I do not wish to create
controversy, flames or to offend anyone. I am an animal lover and owned by
three fuzzy babies. I only advise on the FML what I would do for my three
fuzzbutts. Please try not to stray from why most of us subscribed in the
first place. For the betterment of ferret health through education- to
share our knowledge and experiences to help each other in general (and
sometimes difficult situations), and to share our daily life with our babies
with others who love ferrets as much as we do. Dooks to all!
Jennifer M. Coyer CVT
Fred, Faya and Zero the Fuzzmunchkins
[Posted in FML issue 2124]
|
