There is one question people ignore about ferrets eating bone.  Even if
eating bone constitutes a real danger, it is obvious ferrets have the
desire and motivation to gnaw bones.  What ever happened to the notion
that some types of risk are acceptable simply because it supplies so
much enjoyment to the risk taker?  Isn't that the ultimate argument for
smoking?  It certainly was MY argument for rock climbing, parachuting,
hang-gliding, and running around the desert in shorts and a ball-cap.
In effect, preventing many ferrets from gnawing bones is a form of
punishment, especially those that demonstrate a real desire to chew
objects.  Gnawing has been shown to reduce stress in many carnivores, but
even if it didn't, many still want to chew bones.  If you locked a child
in a room, fed them gruel for their entire life, and never allowed them
the freedom of taking minor risks so the experience makes them a better,
happier individual, you would be arrested for child abuse.  Isn't that
what is happening to our ferrets?  We lock them in cages, prevent them
from having a natural or free life, feed them a food that when wet turns
into colored slime, and do absolutely everything we possibly can to
remove ALL risk from their lives.  For those who have a concept or belief
in God or some Supreme Being, aren't you glad the Head Being doesn't
treat you in a similar fashion?  Yes, there is risk from eating bone,
but risk shouldn't be the only factor in making the decision.
 
So, what is the bottom line?  It all boils down to the perception of
risk.  There is little doubt that carnivores evolved consuming bone and
are adapted to do so.  There is little doubt that many ferrets desire
to chew bones, and will chew them at their leisure if allowed to do so.
There is little doubt that trabecular bone contains nutrients and
minerals that constitute a nearly perfect food for carnivores.  There
is little doubt that chewing the ends of bone promotes carnivore dental
health, and help to cleaning and polishing teeth.  There is little doubt
that the hardness of dry, extruded foods is damaging to a ferret's teeth,
wearing them down long before their time.  There is little doubt that the
starches in dry, extruded foods are the ultimate cause of dental plaque
in ferrets.  And, there is little doubt that some degree of relative risk
exists for ferrets that eat bone.
 
Many ferrets do not want to chew bone; for whatever reason they show
little interest.  They may hide bones, even carry them around, but
they don't chew them.  Many are so olfactory imprinted that they do
not recognize bone as a crunchy food.  Ill ferrets, especially those
suffering digestive problems, may have a difficult time eating bone, or
digesting it.  Some ferrets that have survived consuming an extremely
narrow diet may have problems eating bone, although the problems are
probably self-limiting as their physiology adapts.
 
Personally, I suspect ferrets suffering from adrenal disease and ulcers
can potentially benefit from eating bone.  In the later case, the bone
chewing may reduce stress, clean the mouth, and the bone itself (or the
saliva) may act as a buffering agent in the esophagus and stomach.  In
the former case, eating bone could be extremely helpful in preventing
osteoporosis, a side effect I have discovered to be quite common in
ferrets suffering from adrenal disease.  Will bone actually help with
these problems?  I don't know.  I suspect they will, but only future
research can tell.
 
We can argue the risks and benefits of bone eating all day, and neither
side will convince the other.  I know nothing short of demonstrable data
will convince me to stop feeding my ferrets bone.  Still, the very nature
of bone eating entails some undeniable degree of risk.  The real question
is, is the risk worth it?  I think it is, and have elected to give bone,
fresh and wet cooked, to my ferrets.  In the last decade of feeding my
ferrets bone on a daily basis, they have never had a problem, have
excellent oral health, and have never broken a tooth.  They eat bone
everyday, and not one has ever been hurt from the practice.  Can I
promise a problem will never occur with your ferrets?  Of course
not!  All things in life have risk.  Babies have even choked while
breastfeeding, and how risky is that?  It is important to remember that
while the relative risk of eating bone is extremely small, for the one
individual having a problem, the results can be devastating.  Still,
compared to other forms of risk allowed into ferret's lives, I suspect
a ferret would be relatively safer eating bone than driving across town
to participate in a ferret show.
 
Bob C
[Posted in FML issue 4162]