Sukie Crandall
>I'm sorry, but your choice is no more perfect than mine.  Neither of us
>has the ultimate answer; no one does.
 
Certainly I agree with that.  But are you saying that in all the years
you have posted on the FML, you have not found a single good thing or
advantage to raw feeding that was worth posting about, and that instead
it's nothing but a breeding ground for potential disease, no matter how
small the actual risk of that disease?
 
I can understand such a stance on vaccination, for example, since there
are plainly life-impacting pros and cons on both sides of that issue.
But feeding meat to a carnivore, where the health-related pros overwhelm
the health-related cons?
 
>For some diet seems to be treated like a religious decision, and that's
>just their way of looking at it, I guess.
 
So just because I don't have the time or wherewithal to respond to every
one of your concerns about disease the way Mr. Church did -- including
your multi-paragraph tangent on cystine stones, which btw still doesn't
answer any of the points Mr. Church presented in his August post --
you're dismissing me as a religious zealot?  And you're the one accusing
me of "personal insults"?
 
I am not some kind of naturalist who lives in a treehouse and sustains
myself on bowhunting and berries.  I'm a slob and my ferrets eat a lot
better than I do.  I made my choice after careful consideration over what
was likely the exact same information that you had.  It certainly wasn't
an easy one, as prey-feeding three ferrets isn't exactly cheap, but it's
one that's plainly paid off for me.  If that is a "religious decision,"
then I wonder if you have made one as well.
 
That's the last commentary I'm giving on this particular debate, since if
I get any more involved I'll be late for work all this week.
 
Shirley Hewett:
>Have any of these ferrets that have been raised on this diet suffered
>from insulinoma, adrenal disease (prior to 5yo), hairball blockage,
>stomach ulcers or a bedding chewing habit?
 
That is what I'm hoping to find out, preferably around 2014 or so. ;)
 
It is relatively plain after researching ferret dietary needs that
the composition of most kibbled food can be a prevalent trigger of
insulinoma.  Adrenal disease is murkier and is arguably triggered by a
wider variety of issues (early neutering, non-natural lighting, etc).
Part of the idea behind natural feeding, though, is that it improves a
ferret's immune system, which would therefore give him a better chance
to fend off disease.  (Warning: This is one of those ideas primarily
backed up by anecdotal evidence again.)
 
>One of my favourite vets actually had tears in his eyes when I told him
>that US ferrets are routinely being given implants to prevent the onset
>of adrenal disease.
 
I wouldn't call it "routine"; I don't think perfectly healthy ferrets are
regularly getting it in the US.  It's routine in that adrenal disease is
a routine disease among ferrets, though, and melatonin is one of the best
known ways to preserve a ferret's quality of life under the disease.
 
I would agree with your vet, though, that something is definitely up with
ferrets in the US that is unfairly reducing their life expectancy, and
that it's not just simple genetics.  That's why I started researching raw
feeding in first place, among other practices, even before I adopted any.
 
k
[Posted in FML issue 5161]