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From:
Lonny Eachus <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 2 Oct 2011 00:45:48 -0700
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You might want to be careful with the cat vitamins. Ferrets have an
unusual metabolism and while it may do no harm, on the other hand it
may.

Here is some information I hope will be of some help. Probably the most
common vitamin supplement in the US is FerretVite. I will list the
ingredients and the nutritional breakdown. Then you can look for those
things in cat or other pet supplements. I will not list the ingredients
like water and corn syrup, since the one is obvious and the other
probably does the ferrets no good.

Lecithin, Molasses, Taurine, Ascorbic Acid, d-Alpha Tocopherol
Acetate (vitamin E), Cod Liver Oil, Sorbic Acid and Potassium Sorbate
(preservatives), Ferrous Gluconate, Magnesium Sulfate, d-Calcium
Pantothenate, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Niacinamide, Pyridoxine
Hydrochloride, Vitamin A Palmitate, Potassium Iodide (presumably a
source of trace iodine) Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3, Vitmin B12.

Vitamin / Mineral breakdown per teaspoon (~ 5 ml): {Moderator: the
following table is in a monospace font for alignment} [The FML *is*
edited using a monospace font but most e-mail readers have their own
ideas about how to display things ;-) BIG]

Magnesium        0.007%
Iron             0.009%
Manganese        0.018%
Iodine           0.003%
Vitamin A        359 IU
Vitamin D         27 IU
Vitamin E          3 IU
Thiamine            2mg
Riboflavin        0.2mg
Pantothenic Acid    2mg
Niacin             20mg
Vitamin B6          1mg
Folic Acid        0.2mg
Vitamin B12  0.000002mg
Taurine            42mg
Ascorbic Acid      10mg (vitamin C)

Wow. I was aware that ferrets needed taurine, but the amount in the
supplement surprised me!

Directions that come with this product:

During convalescence: 1/2 teaspoon (~ 2.5 ml) daily per pound (~ 0.45
kg) of body weight.

When pet is not eating and product is used as a main source of
nutrition: 1 teaspoon (~ 5 ml) daily per pound of body weight.

For active ferrets: 0.25 teaspoon (~ 1.25 ml) daily per pound of body
weight.

It may take some calculation, but from that you should be able to get
a good idea of a healthy daily supplement for an average ferret.

LATER NOTE: I did leave out some things from the beginning of the
ingredients list: Malt Syrup, Corn Oil, Maltodextrin. I had assumed
that those were just for a sweet taste but it appears that they were
deliberately added for their calorie and fat content, for use with
ferrets who may be off their feed. That does make some sense, but I am
averse to feeding sugar to healthy ferrets on a regular basis. They do
need fat too, but I question whether corn oil fills that role well.

Lonny Eachus

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[Posted in FML 7201]


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