I know Bob Church and I know he has researched his diet extensively, so
I would tend to trust it.  However, having said that, PLEASE everyone
remember that "natural" does not necessarily equal "good." I've treated
numerous ferrets over the years with bad nutritional problems from
incomplete, so-called "natural" diets.  They can be directly related to
bone, liver and kidney problems.  I'm currently trying to correct severe
kidney damage in a pair of year-old ferrets whose owner has been feeding
them a "natural" diet he copied off someone's web page.  (It's on the
web, so it must be ok, right?) Thanks to discussions with Tom Willard of
Totally Ferret, we have been able to correct the severe imbalances in
these ferrets' diet and the damage to their kidneys is reversing before
it could become fatal.
 
Consider the current fad to feed dogs "archtypal" or "ancestral" natural
diets.  We know that our dogs' ancestors as well as contemporary wild
dogs have a life span of three to four years.  They don't have a chance
to reach old age, get cancer or die from natural causes.  Why would one
assume that a diet which evolved for this short-term hunter-forager
lifestyle would necessarily be good for a pet who can expect to live to
about twelve years?
 
The reason we see so many more cancers in pets as well as in people is
that none of us as a species has EVER lived as long as we do now--not
even close.  The longer you live, the greater the chance you'll
eventually get cancer or a host of other problems.
 
All I'm asking, for your ferret's sake, is that if you depart from the
recommendations of professional nutritionists, do so with extreme
caution.  All may not be as it seems on the surface.
 
Deborah Kemmerer DVM
[Posted in FML issue 4162]