>>Aflatoxins have been linked to liver, pancreatic and other types of
>>cancers in laboratory animals....
>
>Hi Nancy ~
>
>Thanks for the post.  I think anything added to our foods/seeds/meats of
>an antibiotic, or pesticide nature will turn out harmful...animals and
>humans were just not designed for many of today's chemicals....
>
>Mary
 
Hi Mary,
 
Thanks for your reply.  Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring mycotoxin
produced by mold, rather than an additive or pesticide, that is very
toxic at high levels.  There has been a lot of discussion on the fml
recently regarding decreased longevity in ferrets in recent years,
despite increased awareness of their dietary and other needs.  The sharp
increase in aflatoxin in corn (and other food crops, such as peanuts -
bird owners beware!) in the past five years may be a factor to consider
in the discussion of food-related causes.
 
I.e., Totally Ferret is obviously a better formulation than Meow Mix -
but what if it contains toxins that that were not present ten or more
years ago, which are causing cancers and other diseases today?  Corn may
not only be hard to digest, it may be poisonous, and perhaps should be
avoided altogether.
 
If I could switch my ferrets over to a BARF diet, I think I would at this
point.  But only one of them will eat meat in any form.  So I think they
are stuck with whatever is delivered with their kibble, toxic or not. :(
 
Nancy and critters
 
PS - There is a lot of info on aflatoxin on the web; too many sites to
list, but a search on aflatoxin will bring up research studies,
government recommendations, etc.
[Posted in FML issue 3965]