We have read of, but not encountered one other group having trouble with very high protein; some ferrets with insulinoma defy the usual routine for early stages and do better with more carbs, and for some also having dietary sugars always available -- which used to be a standard part of the treatment routine about a decade or more ago. In end stage insulinoma it is not unusual to get extra quality time by providing sweets, but in early insulinoma the current hypothesis is that there will be less blood glucose bouncing by keeping protein high and minimizing carbs and sugars. Not all vets agree on that hypothesis about this pattern of feeding in early stages because islet cell tumors do not respond to blood glucose levels; they just always turn out high levels of insulin, and because the meds used work primarily by increasing blood glucose levels. Reducing carbs and sugars in those with early insulinoma does seem help a good number of ferrets, though, just as adding them back in during the end stages does. Anyway, I just think that general condemnations of foods read in posts are often made prematurely, sometimes based upon hypotheses but most often based upon limited personal experiences, and sometimes those people need to be more careful to point out what is a hypothesis when discussing those so that those with exceptions or with ferrets who don't respond as expected will not be confused or hurt, but most posters need to think more about avoiding strong words based upon limited experience. Some foods are garbage, plain and simple. I realize that. Others work just fine for having low disease levels and decent life spans. Yes, exceptions are important to know about, but one or two ferrets does not a full population make though they do point out the importance of suiting the diet to the individual, so know that exceptions exist but also know what they really mean: that nothing is perfect for every ferret. A diet on which many will thrive may upset the GI tract of a ferret who has IBD, and another diet on which many with thrive will cause cystine stones in one who may be prone to those. What is too much in the way of carbohydrates or sweets for one may be needed at a different time for medical reasons. It's the same as with people. There are a few general rules. In ferrets they are obligate carnivores; it's a general rule. In humans we s a population thrive best with large percentages of veggies, fruits and whole grains in our diets; it's a general rule. Here's one more general rule: diet is not one size fits all so realize that exceptions exist and accept them as such. So, not all people do best on what generally suits the population best, and not all ferrets do best on what generally suits the population best. Honor exceptions, but realize that until one can tell exceptions from the general population it is best to not make sweeping statements without qualifying them and avoiding emotionally loaded wording. (BTW, from my personal experience and going from reading so very many posts through the years is that the ferrets available in the U.S. seemed to be stronger in past decades back before there were so many with assorted "fancy" genetics -- part of which should be no surprise since the neural crest genetics from Kit is a documented oncogene across mammalia and oncogenes can increase the likelihood of malignancies, before there were so many ferrets bred outside the natural breeding season, and before there were so many night lights and equipment lights.) [Posted in FML issue 4654]