The following are subheadings introducing subjects that will be discussed in the series on ferrets eating bones. As you can see, I will make an attempt to discuss ALL aspects of bone eating in order to give the reader enough of an education to decide for themselves if they want to take the risk of feeding ferrets bones. Look at the subheadings carefully; you will probably notice questions and objections brought out by one aspect of the discussion will be discussed at a later time. While you can ask questions or raise objections at any time, I suggest that such responses be held until the final posts, at which time I will be happy to respond. For those that simply cannot wait to post, be aware I will ignore questions and replies, which have a nasty habit of prolonging an already lost series of posts, until then. The subheadings are: 1. Introducing the Problem 2. Defining the Problem 3. Burning the Analog 4. Dining With Polecats 5. Actual Evidence 6. Risking It All 7. Risky Businesses 8. Stomaching Bone (and More Acidic Comments) 9. Acid--Basic Digestion 10. The Whole Tooth on Bone 11. Bone Mechanics 12. Bone as a Food 13. Teeth: Making an Impact on Bone-Eating 14. The Whole Tooth on Cooked Bone 15. The Whole Tooth on Dry, Extruded Foods 16. Broken Tooth Abuse 17. Bona Fide Bone Benefits 18. The Bottom Line 19. Follow-up Questions This is an information-rich series, and I stress that while the material is sometimes dense, anyone capable of operating a computer and getting on line is intelligent enough to follow the argument. If I neglect to define a technical word, send me a private email and I'll do so off list. If I get enough requests, I'll post a short glossary. Be aware the importance of these posts are not just in the aspects of ferrets eating bone. Other aspects of ferret lives are touched on as well, including stress, nutrition, dental health, bone anatomy, oral ecology, dangers of kibble, basic digestion, scientific modeling, risk, and more. You will not just learn about the pros and cons of ferrets eating bone, but also how to tell when someone is so neurotically afraid of risk that they will manipulate you with the "MEE Whammy" (Myths, Emotions, and Experts) in order to control your thinking. While I clearly favor feeding bone, even during my talks last week I told people who worried about the health risks to simply not do it. Even before I present the argument, I say it again: if you are so fearful of feeding bones to your ferret that it causes great anxiety, then DON'T do it. Bob C [Posted in FML issue 4154]