There seem to be a lot of the same questions being asked in regards to
the ferret treat list.  Some items are not a simple "yes", "maybe" or
"no", and for varying reasons.  Please understand that I started out
initially to make a list of 'dangerous' treats according to blockage
potential only, but in doing so I found there are many other factors that
make some treats equally dangerous as blockage potential and/or feeding
sweets.  The current list is a work still in progress.  I stepped into
this project rather blindly and am having to adapt as I learn more, so
consider the list a 'general' guide and if you have a question or don't
understand why a treat is in a certain category, please feel free to
email me at [log in to unmask] .  I may not have the answer,
but I know where I can get it for you.  Here are the explanations for
some of the most common questions I am getting:
 
1. What is wrong with Ferret Bites?
 
(quoted from the veterinary nutritionist's email to me) Look on label
Anytime you see the Moisture above 12% means they use a humectant such as
sugar, salt, corn syrup, glycerin and preservatives such as Phosphoric
Acid, BHA, and mold inhibitors such as calcium Proprionate, etc.  (in
other words the possibility for unhealthy mold is high; the amount of
chemicals necessary to counteract that possibility is NOT good for the
ferret.  They have to measure the mold potential against the risk of
adding even more chemicals for preservation due to the high moisture
content)
 
 
2. Why are some jerky treats okay and others are not?
 
(again quoting from the veterinary nutritionist's email to me)  This is
why I have always stressed protein quality in feeding ferrets whether
talking about foods or treats.  If the meat is not of high biological
value, has all of the essential amino acids, it will not be utilized by
the carnivore.  Not all jerky is created equal.  Some are made from poor
quality animal parts including the skin, tendons or other non nutritional
parts.  The degree of dryness also effects the digestibility of the
jerky.  If it is too dry it requires longer to hydrate in the stomach
and the intestine and without hydration the digestive process is slowed
considerably.  A jerky treat or any treat made from chicken, chicken by
products such as internal organs, egg or other quality meat or animal
sources will be a better product than one made from cheap animal parts.
He also stated that the potential for upsetting the balance of
electrolytes with the high salt and sugar contents used in processing
the meats and, especially in already compromised ferrets (elderly, heart
problems, insulinomic, even a bad case of diarrhea can turn a jerky treat
into a lethal treat), and the owner would have less noticeable symptoms
to use for diagnosis than if the ferret had a blockage.
 
 
3. "Greenies are not marketed for ferrets!"
 
http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/product_detail.asp?pf_id=20398019KT
 
http://www.craftycreatures.com/forferretsonly/health/health_greenies.htm
 
 ....and from Greenies own website someone asks specifically if they are
okay for ferrets:
 
http://www.greenies.com/faqs/details.cfm?ID=518
 
 
4.  Are N-bones recommended or not?
 
N-bones are safe as far as blockage; they aren't blockage material
because they do dissolve; however, there is also no usable nutrition
in them.  Soy is a plant protein, so a ferret's system doesn't get any
benefit from it whatsoever.  As long as the owner is aware and uses
N-bones as a SMALL treat only (recommended to cut them in small pieces
so the ferret doesn't fill up on them and not eat his regular hi protein
kibble), N-bones are a "safe" choice, but having no nutritive value,
would not qualify as a 'good' treat (same as some of the others on the
'good' list.
 
In summary, any treat that is given should be given in very small amounts
so that the ferret derives the majority of his nutrition in any given
24-hr period from his high-quality ferret kibble and/or meat diet.
When choosing a treat, blockage potential and sugar content are not
the only things that determine whether a treat is 'good' for a ferret.
Processing, less than highest quality ingredients to start with,
chemicals used in preservation, all these things have consequences to a
ferret's very small digestive system.  I found that the chemicals, the
salts and sugars and poor quality proteins, all have the potential of
being equally dangerous to the ferret as a blockage would be.  In
actuality, the doctor's first recommendation was that a ferret be given
a high quality kibble or meat diet and that there are really NO treats
necessary or of any value in an already healthy diet.  Whatever the
ferret eats as a treat, he is eating instead of the high quality, hi
protein, low moisture diet he should be eating for optimum health.
 
According to our conversations, the nutritionist I have been working with
believes that the various negative aspects of different treats really
outweigh any good a ferret would get from the treat.  Treats are given
more for the owner's enjoyment and feeling of doing something special
for the ferret than the ferret's need for them.  And, most importantly of
all, we ALL need to be reading labels of everything we feed our pets and
asking questions about ingredients.
 
Hope that answers everyone's questions.  Please don't hesitate to email
me if it doesn't.  Be sure to put "FERRETS" in the subject line of your
question so it doesn't get snagged up in my spam blocker.
 
jacquie rodgers
(not a vet, not a specialist of any kind; just a concerned ferret mom)
[Posted in FML issue 5133]