I am NOT familiar with all of the below resources, but want to give a feel that people COULD be looking such things up before making statements of safety, both generally as well as in places like Pub Med. Google results: >about 81,700 for starvation ferret. http://www.maferrets.org/info/facts.html http://www.petstation.com/ferretcare.html http://www.everythingferret.com/faq.htm http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=11&cat=1842&articleid=524 http://www.circlecityferretclub.org/subpages/daily_care.htm http://www.petcarevabeach.com/insul.html This vet write-up reads in part: >Your veterinarian will want to rule out other causes of hypoglycemia >which include; anorexia/starvation, severe bacterial infection and >liver disease... Notice that not eating by itself can produce low blood glucose, just as insulinoma can. It is not unusual to read vet posts saying the same thing. http://www.ferretsmagazine.com/ferrets/detail.aspx? aid=10603&cid=4326&category= http://animalpetdoctor.homestead.com/ferret.html http://www.ferretcentral.org/faq/wholefaq.html *****I think it is clearly the burden of anyone advising a long fast to first prove that such a fast is safe enough and to clearly and completely point out for which ferrets it is not safe*****, for example a pregnant jill late in her pregnancy can die within 24 hours of not eating or pregnancy toxemia according to multiple vet sources including at least 2 above, and certainly one with insulinoma can die more rapidly than that because the blood sugar is already low so dropping it with a long fast would take it even lower. The very idea of someone not carefully looking up such details and providing them really scares the bejeebers out of me. The burden of proof is and should be upon the proselytizer. -- Sukie (not a vet, and not speaking for any of the below in my private posts) Recommended health resources to help ferrets and the people who love them: Ferret Health List http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth FHL Archives http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ AFIP Ferret Pathology http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html Miamiferrets http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/ International Ferret Congress Critical References http://www.ferretcongress.org [Posted in FML issue 5210]
