>From:    Debbi Searing <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: food and stuff
 
We tend to be much more open minded.  We prefer to buy from a company
that actually tests its products.  It would be nice to know that the item
designed for ferrets was actually tested with ferrets.  We don't want OUR
ferrets to be the testers.
 
Its a selfish thing perhaps but we think that if a company is to produce
products they should KNOW that they are safe and a computer simulation
doesn't cut it.  Bill does computer simulations as a major part of his job
and knows that they are estimates at best.
 
And since you were actually referring to testing for humans, we are just as
selfish about oursevles and our children.  We don't want to give a company
some moeny for US to be their "guinea pigs" (referring to animal testing of
course).  AND despite the extremely inaccurate information from the animal
rights organizations, if you haven't tested products on live animals you do
NOT know enough to predict for your human tests and if you do not run tests
on humans you do NOT know how the product will actually work on your
intended customers.  Product safety is to us more important than the belief
of some that testing is bad.
 
Unless we find a food better for our purposes than Iams we will continue to
use their products.  We like the new accessibilty of the products.  The
cost reduction through higher volume is a good thing - costs can go down
not just because of quality losses but because of volume increases.
 
Back one day to someone else's comments.  Iams labelled food is not the
same as Eukanuba labelled food.  Both are premium foods from the same
company.  Its not Ford and Mercury but Mercury and Lincoln - but that still
isn't right because these are both foods that are about as good as it gets
until you go to a specific ferret product such as Totally Ferret.
 
You can still buy Ole Roy at Walmart as well as Iams but look in other
departments.  You can buy cheap crap and good stuff all over that store.
Not much selection really as they are a low selection/high volume store
but there is a selection that is between different products of different
qualities not so much between different low quality products.
 
As for anything PETA says - its probably a lie.
 
>From:    "Jennifer D. Ellis" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: What to feed
>Basically, if you don't tell me which type of animal supplied the protein,
>I'm going to assume it's rendered pets and lab animals.
 
How many people do you know that sell their pets to renderers?  Lab animals
that are used in tests are not usually suitable to be used as meat
products.
 
This is another factoid that is basically urban legend.  Renderers would
use higher volume sources like agricultural animals.  Unspecified would
mean that they don't want to differentiate since it would still fluctuate.
 
>From:    Katie Maruska <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Virus Question about a.p.f
 
Closest we've seen to a virus on the newsgroup is the 'private list'
trolls.  Bit of a plague but not a virus.
 
bill & diane
--
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2992]