Something often repeated (and I am guilty of it too) is that ferrets
are said to imprint upon their food at an early age. I think this is
a poor term - imprint - it may well be that in fact they are simply
ADDICTED to the foods forced upon them! This may be why some ferrets
make the switch and others simply cannot - their own bodies may be
chemically addicted to the food that is slowly killing them!
Keep in mind that ferrets are often used as models for MANY human
systems and health issues. Mice too, get used for this. so of course
one has to wonder if scientific discoveries work in the other
direction?
In another forum thread about strange edible things ferrets show a
strong attraction to I commented about recently reading an article that
science had proved eating french fries produces the same effects on the
brain as does cannabis (marijuana)!
Looking into this further I discovered several links and this one looks
very interesting to say the least:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20445053
with the abstract quoted below in case the link is inactive: (I bolded
what could be relevant for ferrets - the rest is a lot of scientific
mumbo jumbo) for the more curious among us keep doing more searches
using "endocannabinoid ferret", "endocannabinoid system" etc and follow
the multiple links that show up in pubmed. Its an interesting trip!
[Bold probably won't show in FML but I'll leave the tags in. BIG]
In real people terms the endocannabinoid system is a system that looks
for and receives specific compounds that eventually release dopamine
(or happy happy joy joy hormones) in the brain as well as tell the
brain to keep eating or if its hungry. What's interesting too once
you start looking into this system is that it isn't tied to JUST the
brain - it ties in to the pancreas, insulin, adipose tissue (fat) as
well as stress regulators of the body!
Can you say WOW? Can you see the light? Ferrets, although obligate
carnivores DO have an attraction to sugars and sweets and what is a
consistent ingredient in kibbles? Sugars - whether simple or complex -
they are there! And I propose they do one thing for the ferret....
get it and keep it addicted to kibble!
Abstract: [b]The endocannabinoid (eCB) system plays central roles in
the regulation of food intake and energy expenditure. Its alteration
in activity contributes to the development and maintenance of obesity.
Stimulation of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB(1) receptor)
increases feeding, enhances reward aspects of eating, and promotes
lipogenesis, whereas its blockade decreases appetite, sustains weight
loss, increases insulin sensitivity, and alleviates dysregulation of
lipid metabolism. [/b] The hypothesis has been put forward that the eCB
system is overactive in obesity. Hippocampal circuits are not directly
involved in the neuronal control of food intake and appetite, but they
play important roles in hedonic aspects of eating. We investigated the
possibility whether or not diet-induced obesity (DIO) alters the
functioning of the hippocampal eCB system. We found that levels of the
two eCBs, 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG) and anandamide, were increased
in the hippocampus from DIO mice, with a concomitant increase of the
2-AG synthesizing enzyme diacylglycerol lipase-alpha and increased
CB(1) receptor immunoreactivity in CA1 and CA3 regions, whereas CB(1)
receptor agonist-induced [(35)S]GTPgammaS binding was unchanged.
eCB-mediated synaptic plasticity was changed in the CA1 region, as
depolarization-induced suppression of inhibition and long-term
depression of inhibitory synapses were enhanced. Functionality of CB(1)
receptors in GABAergic neurons was furthermore revealed, as mice
specifically lacking CB(1) receptors on this neuronal population were
partly resistant to DIO. Our results show that DIO-induced changes in
the eCB system affect not only tissues directly involved in the
metabolic regulation but also brain regions mediating hedonic aspects
of eating and influencing cognitive processes.
So if you read this far, you may be definitely intrigued by what
ferrets get served! So when we convert a ferret in reality we are
performing an intervention! Going at their change in diet as if we are
moving them away from an addiction - may shed new light on how to
approach a transition and how to KEEP them on the right track and the
importance of not letting them fall back into an addicted state!
Seeing their introduction to processed foods as a forced addiction also
sheds new light on the shameful practices of many breeders - does it
not?
Cheers,
Kim
please visit: for ferret help and info:
http://holisticferret.proboards60.com/index.cgi
http://ferretopia.proboards51.com/index.cgi
yahoo groups Natural Ferrets
[Posted in FML 7342]
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