>Yes, it is true that ferret food on the shelves may not be the best
>possible food, but it is still good enough for them to survive on
>healthy.  The food is made for the ferret, and it has the correct
>nutrition for them to be able to function like a normal ferret would.
>I've talked to many vets, and they would agree with me that ferret food
>on the shelves is fine for them.  My dog is a carnivore, but I don't
>good out and feed him pinkies and other things like that.  I think you
>all will be just fine feeding them their normal diet, with a few treats
>here and there.
 
Ahem-This seems to be a VERY broad generalization-every ferret food on
the shelves is not MADE the same way and they don t all contain the same
ingredients or proportions, so I don t understand how you or your vets
could just across the board approve any food that says ferret on the
bag.  I would venture to say that MOST ferret foods on the shelves are
actually nutritionally deficient and AREN T good enough to help them
survive on healthy .  In fact, several of these deficient foods can CAUSE
health problems due to the lack of certain nutrients or overabundance of
others, etc.  Again, just because it is commercially available, doesn t
mean it s healthy enough to survive on!  Nutritionally deficient foods
can drastically shorten your ferret s lifespan.  There are lots of ferret
foods out there with primary and proportionally large amounts of plant
matter in their make-up, and ferrets cannot even digest that, for
example.  It would be pretty irresponsible of your vet, without looking
into each food individually, to make such a broad generalization about
ferret food , too.
 
Normal diet is a relative term.  We have had people feeding ferrets dog
food as normal diet and grocery-store brand dog foods are often filled
with grains, plants and other indigestible (for a ferret, at least)
items.  Normal doesn t mean healthy .  We have had people feeding bird
seed to ferrets as their normal diet!!!!  Your dog is a carnivore, and if
the food he eats, be that actual meat or kibble, doesn t reflect that, it
is not a healthy diet!  Just because the manufacturer states that a food
is made for the ferret doesn t mean it is.  You have to pay attention to
what ingredients are in there and what s listed as the first ingredients
(by LAW, they have to be listed in a manner that reflects which
ingredients are in there in the largest proportions-this is a regulated
thing-so that the highest-proportioned ingredient, for example, is listed
first), among other things.
 
Not to harp on birds, but there have been quite a few studies on bird
foods and the health of domesticated birds, so this is easier to back
up factually and we teach people about this every day at the animal
hospital.  As I said before, lots of companies make bird food that is
comprised almost entirely of various fatty seeds (i.e. sunflower seeds)
that are actually very detrimental to a bird s health in such quantities,
and the vast majority of what is on the shelves as bird food is
completely inappropriate for most of the birds people keep in captivity.
By your theory, because it is on the shelves , however, it must be
nutritionally sound for them because the manufacturer stamped bird food
across the packaging.  I really don t understand this generalized
thinking-it is far too accepting of the commercial pet food industry;
while there are companies out there that do actually put a lot of
research into trying to make nutritionally adequate foods for pets, there
are far more that are more concerned about making the most bang for the
buck.  Seeds and millet are certainly a whole heckuva lot cheaper to
produce and the profit margin is a whole lot larger than for a truly
nutritionally balanced pellet bird food, for example!
 
Caveat Emptor -Buyer Beware-is really the best motto you can have when
choosing an on the shelf ferret (or any other) food.  YOU have to be
responsible for what goes into your pet s mouth; don t leave it up to
some company and assume they have your and your pet s best interests and
health at heart.  As we like to say at our office, sure, your bird can
_survive_ on seeds, but it would be like us eating McDonald s for every
meal-you won t live as long, you won t look as good, and you won t be as
healthy along the way.  McDonald s is sure marketed to kids, but would
you feed it to YOUR human children for every meal?  You have to approach
what you feed your ferrets the same way, whether you choose a kibbled
diet off the shelves or killed or live meat-you have to be a wise
consumer for any of these foods.
 
And by the by- it may not be the best possible food -why wouldn t you
WANT to feed the best possible food to your animals, even if it s
kibble?!?
 
-April, stepping off the soap box (which is not necessarily reflective of
 it being the best cleaning product on the market)
[Posted in FML issue 3944]