Hi all, and special attention, Bob Church - I'd love to know what you think
about this product...!
 
While surfing the web I came upon a site (http://www.naturalpetfood.com/)
created by a vet who specializes in canine/feline diet (has written a book,
etc.) who also (along w/Bob Church) maintains that the best food is that
which most closely resembles the "natural" food items of its "ancestors"
and who also speaks of the problem with feeding carnivores grains.  He
recommends a product by Animal Food Services (http://www.animalfood.com/)
which is a raw meat product you can purchase either or freeze-dried.  Here
is all the vital info:
 
Carnivore Diet, frozen
(for Cats, or in this case, ferrets)
 
Beef, meat byproducts, poultry, finely ground bone, yeast culture,
charcoal (for denaturing only).
 
Vitamins & Minerals:
 
zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, ferrous
sulfate, sodium selenite, calcium iodate, cobalt sulfate, choline chloride,
vitamin E (dl-alpha tocopherol acetate), niacin, calcium pantothenate,
ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, thiamine mono
nitrate, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid, pyridoxine
hydrochloride, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfate complex.
 
Guaranteed Analysis:
 
Crude protein, minimum..16.0% (43% of non-moisture content)
Crude Fat, minimum......11.0%   (30% of non-moisture content)
Crude Fiber, maximum.....0.9%   (.2%  ""  ""   ""  "")
Moisture, maximum.......63.0%
Ash, maximum.............4.5%
Calcium, minimum.........0.75%
Phosphorus, minimum......0.45%
Magnesium, maximum.......0.035%
 
I ordered the freeze-dried version for my 2 weezees and they've been on it
about 3 weeks.  My skinny one, who had already lost his winter weight and
who has always been quite skinny and w/poor muscle tone has actually "bulked
up" quite a bit since being on this diet and actually appears to have
improved muscle-tone!  In addition, their poops are at least 1/3 smaller
than before and have even LESS odor!  I've been pretty amazed but at this
point I realize that I'm a sample of 1 (not exactly scientific proof yet).
 
I should also mention that my "skinny one" has always been very picky about
his food, eating almost nothing but kibble (not even cooked chicken), and he
took to it immediately (he actually loves it!).  I reconstitute a patty and
mix in a little wet cat food (it took me a long time to find a good one he
would actually nibble at) and a little crunched-up kibble (Eukanuba Kitten &
Innova).  I make enough to last a couple days and store it in the fridge.
I feed a little in a bowl in the am, in the afternoon and again at bedtime.
Since it is a raw meat product, its definitely more of a "bother" than
free- feeding kibble.  But, once you figure out how much of it they are
going to eat, there is very little spoilage.
 
As you've probably guessed, its NOT CHEAP.  It looks like, for the
freeze-dried product, it will come out be about $20/mo for 2, 2.5lb ferrets.
The frozen diet is a little cheaper but shipping is more.  Although this
may not work for financially strapped shelters, for people with only a few
ferrets, the cost may not be prohibitive.  There is also an option to become
a "distributor" which also lowers the price.  And if it turns out that a raw
meat diet improves health, you may save $$ on vet bills in the long run.
 
One question I do have....Does anyone (including Bob, the ferret god) know
about the process of freeze-drying?  Would it affect the quality of the
nutrients (amino acids, etc.) in the meat.  The company claims that, since
the meat is never cooked, no nutritional value is lost (over the regular
frozen product, at least).
 
Thanks in advance!
 
pocha in CA
[Posted in FML issue 2388]