I am writing to clarify a few points.  I am a long time client of Dr.
Kawasaki's, and also sat at his table at the St. Louis Symposium and
heard his talk on Raisin Toxicity.
 
Dr. Kawasaki has been a ferret lover and has specialized in ferret
medicine for as long as he has been in veterinary practice, which is
over 25 years.  Although he is not one to go out and 'toot his horn', he
was one of the vets that pioneered many of the ferret surgeries that we
take for granted today, like insulinoma and adrenal surgery.  In the
early years, he did write papers and publish them, and I am sure that
many vets who have learned about ferret medicine are familiar with some
of his work.  He has also been cited in some of the early ferret care
books, like the second book by Wendy Winstead.  Additionally, he provided
Antech Labs with many of the normal ferret blood values they currently
use.
 
As a client, I know that Dr. Kawasaki has believed that raisins are not
a good treat for ferrets for many years.  He holds this view for several
reasons.  First and foremost is the high sugar content.  About 15 years
ago, he convinced me to stop using raisins and other sugary items as
treats, and the rate of insulinomas in my ferrets was greatly reduced.
Where previously all of my ferrets eventually got insulinoma, now only
about 15% develop the problem.  This is not scientific proof by any
means, but it is certainly anecdotal evidence, and is enough to convince
me that sugary treats are bad.
 
Now, as to raisin toxicity - even before the ASPCA's Poison Control
Center had issued any warning about raisins being a possible problem for
canines, Dr. K had noticed a problem in ferrets who managed to eat a
volume of raisins.  He had several cases of young and healthy ferrets
suddenly develop kidney failure and die, and when he questioned the
owners about what the ferret might have gotten into, in each case the
only thing the owner could think of was that the ferret had managed to
get a box of raisins and eat an unknown, but probably large number of
raisins.
 
Again, this is not scientific proof, but is anecdotal evidence that
consuming a large number of raisins at one time could prove fatal for
ferrets.  And, this anecdotal evidence is certainly enough for me to
decide that my ferrets do not need to learn to eat raisins.
 
Since first noticing the problem, Dr. K. has reported his finding to the
ASPCA's Poison Control Center.  Unfortunately, the ASPCA has not made
this information publicly available.
 
There has been additional research done on the problem in dogs, though,
and apparently a group of vets was able to come up with an amount that
would likely be a problem, based on the weight of the animal.  Using
that as a guideline, Dr. K. determined that as few as 7 or 8 raisins or
grapes consumed at one time could ba a problem for a ferret.  Again,
this is not scientifically proven, but do you really want to take a
chance with your ferret?
 
Dr. Kawasaki hosted a Table Topic on Seldom Discussed Ferret Medical
Problems at the St. Louis Symposium, and one of the things he presented
as a part of this topic was the possibility of raisin toxicity.
Additionally, he provided a handout with the information on this.
 
Will Dr. Kawasaki do the scientific research necessary to prove his
belief that raisins can be toxic to ferrets?  It is highly unlikely.  A
practicing vet does not have the facilities to do that kind of research,
and it would require poisoning a large number of ferrets, something that
is against his nature.  Will he present the information to others?  He
already has.  In addition to speaking about it at the Symposium, he has
also discussed it with other vets in out local area.  Will he take it
further - I don't know.  He has a busy practice, and also tries to have
a life outside of veterinary medicine.  Preparing a paper and getting it
published all take time.
 
The bottom line for me is, why take unnecessary risks.  Raisins are not
part of a natural diet for ferrets, and they offer no nutritional value
for ferrets.  So, why would I even want to use them as treats.  My kids
are much happier with a spoonful of Turkey baby food as a treat, and
that is just fine with me.
--
Danee DeVore
International Ferret Congress Health Issues Coordinator
http://www.ferretcongress.org
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit: http://www.ferretadv.com
You can help fight ADV!
Visit: http://help4adv.terrabox.com/
[Posted in FML issue 5189]