John Rich <[log in to unmask]> wrote on 4/8/2006, 4:00 AM: >I`d still love to see the "Absolute Groundswell all over the world of >people changing the diets of their dogs(and cats) to a more 'natural' >one", as was posted last night! How about just the earthmovement >right here in the good ole USA?? I have avoided making any further comments in the great food debate, largely because I felt I had said my piece. But, since some new turns in the debate have come about, I find cause to jump back into the discussion. First and foremost let me clarify - I live in Alexandria, VA, right outside of Washington DC. This is very much an east coast city area. There are no farms. People are not allowed to keep farm animals like chickens and pot belly pigs, even as pets. Any out buildings people have are sheds for storing their lawnmowers. We are very similar to NJ in that way. And, I have a number of friends in the area who have dogs and feed a raw diet to their dogs. I actually was first introduced to the idea of feeding raw by my friends with dogs about 7 years ago. And, in one case, the friend started feeding her dogs a raw diet at the vet's recommendation. Within the last week someone made a rather ridiculous comment indicating that ferrets had been domesticated in the US for over a thousand years, and while I am sure that the person did not mean it the way it was written, it got me wondering - how were ferrets fed in the past? In the FML archives, we can find posts from Bob Church about how ferrets were fed in England and Europe, and while the milk and bread diet is one he mentions, they were also fed raw meats, and any prey (rodents) they could catch. In the US it is only in the past 20 to 30 years that ferrets have been popular as pets. For the most part, before the 1970s, ferrets were raised for fur. I did some Internet searching, trying to find information, but did not have much luck finding specifics on ferret diets. So, I tried a different search. I was sure that early settlers crossing the plains of the US did not carry bags of kibble to feed their dogs, so I tried to find out when the first dry dog food was available. I found the Pet Food Institute's website - an organization with headquarters in Washington, DC, USA. http://www.petfoodinstitute.org/ According to their website, the first dry dog food was manufactured in England in 1860, and it was a biscuit made mostly of grains and vegetables with some meat. This biscuit was not available in the US until a firm here bought the formula and started manufacturing it in the 1890s. The formula was in no way based on any scientific evaluation of a dogs nutritional needs, though. After WWI, canned horse meat became available as a dog food. In the 1930s, canned cat food was introduced, as well as a dry meat/meal kibble for dogs. And, in the 1950s there was an expansion of the dry kibbles that were available for dogs and cats. >Interesting - our pets haven't been eating kibble all that long a time. So what were pets fed before kibble and canned foods were available? >Both my parents grew up on small family farms - the type that used to be >prevalent across the US. And, like most farms, they had dogs and cats. So, I asked them what they fed these animals. The cats were kept for rodent control, and each morning a bowl of milk was put out for them as a supplement to the prey they caught. If a female was carrying a litter, or nursing, they would supplement her with scrape raw meat. Even cats that were brought into the house and kept as a house pet were fed the same way. The dogs were fed table scrapes and also raw meat. When an animal was butchered, after all the meat for the family was taken care of, any remains were ground up - including the bones - and wrapped in freezer paper and put in the freezer. They were marked that it was dog food, and as needed the packages were thawed and fed to the dogs. The dogs were also given milk. When I was asking my mother about how they fed the dogs and cats, she reminded me that when I was young, we didn't feed our dog manufactured dog food. I didn't remember, but she claims we didn't start feeding kibble or canned foods until after we had moved - so sometime in the early 1960s. Up to that point, our dog was fed table scrapes and raw scrap meat she bought from the local butcher. I grew up in the DC area - so this was the city. It is really only the last 50 or 60 years that the majority of dogs and cats have been fed kibble and canned food. Not a very long history of this. It is only a little over 100 years that manufactured dog food has even been available, and less for cats. But, back to ferrets. I have a neighbor who is older then I am, who also grew up on a farm. There was a fur ranch near him, and he worked there while he was in high school to earn some money. They had both mink and ferrets. He had told me about this when he say me scrubbing my ferret cages outside one day, and wanted to know what kind of animal I was keeping. So, I went and asked im if he remembered what the minks and ferrets were fed. Guess what - raw scrape meat and ground up bones. There were no processed foods available. This was in the late 1950s. So, there really isn't the long history of animals being fed kibble that we think there is, even here in the US. And just like many people are now trying to get away from eating so much processed food, for health reasons, maybe our pets would do better with a natural diet. I currently feed kibble. Several years ago, I would never have even considered feeding a raw diet. But today, I am exploring it, and may give it a try. I will never dis someone who chooses to feed a high quality kibble. I respect each individual's right to make up their own mind on the issue. But, I am seeing advantages to a natural (raw) diet. Lets leave ferrets again for a moment, and look at recent trends in human nutrition. while we are consuming a greater percentage of processed foods then we did 50 years ago, we are also seeing an increase in food allergies, problems like ADD and ADHD, and a myriad of other problems that we are learning may be connected to our diets. Doctors advise us to eat fewer processed foods. We are seeing more health food stores, and some people are making a real effort to eat only organic foods. If processed foods are not good for us, why do we think they are good for our pets? Now, I will admit that there is a lot of controversy among researchers on just how bad processed foods are, but even the side that says they aren't as bad as some make them out to be admit that they are not good, and making dietary changes to avoid the most obvious ones are advised. And, just for the record, I am not a health food nut. I eat more then my share of processed foods, but I am trying to cut back. I am not going to go organic in the near future, but instead of buying junk food, I am trying to eat meals I prepare. I am also avoiding the prepared "just heat em in the microwave" foods. They are certainly more convenient in today's hectic world, but they may be less nutritious and contain things I would prefer to avoid. The above is meant as food for thought. -- Danee DeVore International Ferret Congress Health Issues Coordinator http://www.ferretcongress.org ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know! For more information visit: http://www.ferretadv.com You can help fight ADV! Visit: http://help4adv.terrabox.com/ [Posted in FML issue 5207]