>It has even been suggested I am creating a dangerous situation by
>suggesting dietary restriction might be an effective means of improving
>the health of ferrets because ferret people would be unable to handle
>such a diet (where is the FML Anti-Condescension League when you need
>it?  You poor dumb FML people are just not capable of making dietary
>changes that could help your ferrets...).
>
>[Moderator's note: I rather resent your characterization of FMLers as
>"poor dumb FML people".  BIG of the FMLACL]
 
Actually, I think that Bob is trying to apply insult to my comments about
the risks of malnutrition that could arise due to the fine lines needed
for a restricted calorie diet, but i suspect that most folks here know
their own limitations just as I do, and realize that they would have to
do some very careful research into micronutrients before trying such
diet for the safety of the ferrets.  There is a wide difference between
insulting people and acknowledging that a good deal needs to be learned
by many before trying something that might easily have risks.  He simply
read a non-present insult into the comments and then treated it as if it
were an actual insult.  It's easy enough to misread something; we all do
it at times so I don't matter as long as folks understand so that words
which weren't mine don't get attributed to me.  This time was just Bob's
turn to misread, and that's okay because he's as humanly fallible as all
the rest of us.  Because no one -- not one person -- wrote to me about it
I don't think that anyone else took it the wrong way.  If someone did,
then I apologize and hope that you now see what I was saying.
 
As Bob says:
>Dietary restriction is best defined as "caloric restriction without
>malnutrition," meaning the ferret receives ALL essential protein,
>vitamin, fatty acids, amino acids, and trace nutrients
 
so people would to learn what these are, how to best be sure of having
reasonable levels of nutrients while restricting calories, etc. by
definition.  That speaks for learning well first, while doing later
if trying it is the individual's final choice.  There is possible
malnutrition risk in jumping into trying this prematurely.  Most people
do learn first and try later, but it's natural to have concerns for
those few who don't.
 
>I have a single question: what if by some miracle it turns out I am
>right and individual biases and unsupported warnings turn people away
>from a dietary technique that would HELP ferrets?
 
It may; it may not; it may help for specific situations or with specific
modifications -- which is why folks should discuss it with ferret
knowledgeable vets and consider the pros and the cons and then go from
there.  None of us has any control over what the many vets say when they
are presented with evidence and consider it.  There is nothing wrong with
knowing both sides, and nothing wrong with also seeking expert guidance
from ferret knowledgeable vets before deciding.  That is only logical and
fair.
 
Knowing down-sides also allows for the building of a stronger argument,
or better approach, or both through refinements.
 
I don't think that anyone is trying to "shoot down" the idea in total,
just that folks are urging caution while more is being discovered and
are presenting other information for consideration, while urging folks
to discuss the ups and downs with ferret knowledgeable vets and then
go with what the vets say whether that is to try it, to try it with
modifications, or not to try it -- advice which may vary also among
individual vets and individual ferrets at this stage.  The treating
ferret-knowledgeable vets are completely independent of us all and
have no stake in anyone's side on this, so using them as unbiased judges
makes the most sense.
 
If caloric restriction winds up making sense for a number of ferrets it
may turn out that the safest way to be sure to avoid shorting essential
nutrients and winding up with malnutrition may be with a future modified
kibble approach -- perhaps even one with some indigestible components to
allow the ferrets to eat fewer calories while feeling full -- a
possibility which many of us on both sides of this discussion (as well
as those to the side of it) have mentioned in relation to diets 15 to 20
years ago, the hypothesized use of harder to digest starches then, and
the apparently lower rates of reports of symptoms of adrenal disease or
insulinoma during those times.
[Posted in FML issue 3969]