Nancy wrote:
>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.
 
I ADD: This would make sense.  I'm not sure why use of these
vaccines/medications are given at high levels to little ferrets...one
can only guess.  Someone mentioned questioning giving the same amount of
vaccine to a 13 lb cat, as a 2 lb ferret (I may have mixed that up).  It
doesn't make sense not to titrate down for the weight of a ferret.
 
>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 ADD: Yes, you do make a good point.  One we need to consider and
possibly research.
 
>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.
 
I ADD: And who knows how much GE (genetic engineered) corn is contained
in anyof our pet foods right now?  I know it is in many of the chicken
feeds, as well as horse and cattle feed right now.  I'm very worried that
our corn crops can become cross-contaminated.  For those who do not know,
corn is pollinated by the wind.  When we plant it here we do so in 12
rows across.  Each 4-6 rows are pollinated by row 1 carried by the wind.
So you need at least 6 rows to do a batch, or some will be missing corn
and not pollinated completely.  With the GE corn floating around out
there this can easily spread into domestic organically grown fields.  I
do not use GE corn--never will, but someday, some stray piece may float
into my field and begin the pollination cycle I am trying to avoid.  So
perhaps being more vigilant about our foods may help.  I know there are
currently bills for the inclusion of GE corn within the US.  My feeling
is to contact our Congresspersons to ask them to vote against US GE in
our crops.
 
Warmly ~
Mary
 
Herbalist
The Conley Farm - organic herbs
Online Classes ~ [log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 3966]