This is not meant to debate one feeding method over another, but simply some food for thought for everyone on feeding issues. I would hope that everyone would keep an open mind to feeding issues, whether or not they agree with particular feeding methods. First, let me start by saying that any "opinions" expressed in this post are my own, and do not reflect the views or positions of any ferret organizations I am affiliated with. Second, I apologize for the length of this post, but the fact is, there is a lot of information to cover. I hope that anyone who bothers to read this will find at least some of the information useful, and if nothing else, will go away with something to think about. As I have stated before, while I feed primarily a whole prey diet to my ferrets, I feel that all methods of feeding have both pros and cons, and it is up to the individual ferret owner to educate themselves on ferret nutrition, and then decide what method works best for them. There are many claims made by some who feed raw diets, whether prey or just raw pieces, about how much healthier the diet is. But, will time prove this to be true? For over 20 years I fed my ferrets a kibble diet. During that time, I never had a single ferret with any dental problems (other than a fractured canine that was caused by an injury). I did have some insulinoma problems early on, but after I quit giving sugary treats, that pretty much stopped. The only time I had ferrets with IBD was when I had ADV positive ferrets. Some of my ADV+ ferrets did develop IBD. So, over the long term, my experience leads me to believe that a high quality kibble is not the main cause of ferret health problems. That is not to say that I don't think that nutrition is an important factor in a ferrets overall health. Nutrition is definitely a factor, and the wrong diet can definitely contribute to health problems. But, it is my opinion that ferrets can receive proper nutrition through a kibble diet, just as if not done properly, feeding raw can provide an unbalanced diet that does not provide proper nutrition. Let's look at some of the main ferret problems. Adrenal disease - I think we all pretty much agree that while feeding a diet lacking proper nutrition might play into overall poor health, and possibly even adrenal disease, as long as a high quality kibble is used, diet is not likely to affect adrenal disease. Adrenal disease seems to be more related to genetics, improper photo periods, and possibly early spay/neutering. The one exception to that is if kibbles containing soy are used. While there has not been any studies on the subject, I know several vets who recommend avoiding soy in a ferrets diet. Soy contains isoflavones (one of which is phytoestrogen), which are plant versions of hormones. Feeding soy products to ferrets may (and there are so far no studies that prove or disprove this) cause adrenal problems. There have been some studies with soy, though, that show that rodents like hamsters and rats reach puberty much faster when fed a diet that contains soy. Additionally, some newer studies have indicated that soy "might" actually increase the risk of breast cancer in women. So, while there is nothing concrete to show that soy is bad for ferrets, my personal opinion is that until it is shown conclusively to be safe, it is best to avoid foods and treats that contain soy. IBD - except when I had ferrets with ADV, I have not really had a problem with IBD in my ferrets. However, in the last 5 to 10 years, there does seem to be a great increase in the number of ferrets with IBD and other intestinal problems. I am not sure why this is. It does seem that most of the cases I have heard about are in farm ferrets and not privately bred ferrets, so there may be some genetic factors at play. I have also heard from several vets that there might be a connection between untreated adrenal disease and IBD. Since the farm ferrets seem to develop adrenal disease more frequently and at an earlier age than privately bred late alter ferrets, that may be part of the explanation. My personal opinion is that if feeding kibble is a factor in causing IBD, then it is feeding kibble that contains grains. IBD is an inflammatory disease, and can be caused by any constant irritation of the bowels. Grains are known to be a big source of food allergies in humans, cats, dogs, and other animals. While no studies have been done to show if they are also a major source of food allergies in ferrets, it is likely that they are. Feeding a food that the animal is allergic to may cause an inflammatory reaction in the gut, and may lead to IBD. This is just one of the reasons that I personally recommend that people avoid kibbles that contain grains, although there are other reasons as well. About 8 or 10 years ago, a lot of us were seeing ferrets developing food allergies to the kibbles we were feeding, and many of us assumed it was an allergy to chicken. I was among that group. Unfortunately, it was very hard to find a kibble that did not contain chicken, but still met a ferret's nutritional requirements, and so some of us went to feeding cooked turkey and supplements, or a canned food. Many canned foods do not contain grains, and so when changing the diet solved the problem, we were even more convinced the problem was a chicken allergy. Now, in hindsight, I think it is more likely that it was an allergy to grains. I did find that my ferrets who could not eat a chicken based kibble could eat chicken baby food. At that time, there were no grain free kibbles on the market. Today, we have some very high quality grain free kibbles to choose from. It would be nice if we could make a kibble that does not contain any plant matter, but for now, that does not seem possible. So, my personal recommendation to people who feed kibble is to feed only grain free kibble. Insulinoma - someone suggested the other day that feeding kibble could increase the likelihood of a ferret developing insulinoma, because the kibble will cause spikes and drops in the BG level. Personally, I think the opposite is true, if a high quality kibble is used. First of all because most ferrets that are fed only kibble do not eat a meal, but instead eat little bits on and off throughout the day. By eating many small meals, they are far more likely to maintain a steady BG level than if they ate 1 or 2 large meals. It is when a large meal is consumed that BG spikes are more likely to occur. Also, foods high in animal based protein, like the high quality kibbles have, will not cause a BG spike, but will help a ferret maintain a steady level. Simple sugars are what are believed to contribute to the onset of insulinoma. Now, again, we have no definitive scientific study that proves this, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence around, and even many vets will say it is likely (though not proven) that sugars can lead to insulinoma. High quality kibbles do not contain simple sugars. They do contain starches, which are another carbohydrate, but starches take the system a lot longer to convert to a simple sugar. Now, it is true that ferrets do not need carbohydrates in their diet. Ferrets use fat for energy, not sugars, but starches, while unnecessary, have not been accused of causing insulinomas. And, again, because the starches take time to convert to sugars, they do not cause spikes in the BG levels, especially if the ferret is eating small meals of kibble frequently. Long distance runners eat diets high in starches for the very reason that they raise the BG level, but don't spike it. Starches provide energy for humans over a prolonged period. There is even a very ferret knowledgeable vet who has been doing some research and now recommends the use of Cosequin for cats as a treatment for insulinoma. I do not know if she has published her findings yet, but I do know people who are using Cosequin for cats, and have found it to be very helpful in controlling insulinoma along with pred and diazoxide. One of the primary ingredients of Cosequin is glucosamine (Cosequin is sold as a treatment for arthritis pain). Glucosamine is a complex sugar, or an amino sugar. Because it is a complex sugar, it is metabolized very slowly. Apparently, the thinking behind using it with ferrets with insulinoma is that because it is metabolized slowly, it helps to keep the BG level more constant. I do know that the people I know who are using it say it helps a lot to keep the BG level of their insulinomic ferrets at a safe level, without spikes and dips. So, the bottom line here is that I do not believe that a diet of a high quality kibble will make a ferret more likely to develop insulinoma, and I don't know of any scientific evidence that would support the theory that kibble can cause insulinoma, either. So, now that I have dealt with kibble and several health issues, let me talk about a raw or prey diet. Some people had asked about switching from kibble to raw, and Kim wrote explaining what she does. Kim has more experience than I do with switching ferrets, and what she wrote is perfectly fine. Again, there is no one right way to do it, and different people use different techniques. I have ferrets that eat whole prey, but will not touch a piece of chicken wing or chicken leg, or if they do, they will only eat the meat off the bone. I have had no luck getting my prey eating ferrets to eat raw meaty bones. It is important to remember that ferrets are raw prey eaters, and not raw meat eaters. In addition to the muscle meat that we eat, they need bones and organ meats. So, if a ferret is eating the meat off the bones, but not eating the bones, than they either will need some kibble or a calcium supplement to meet their nutritional needs. My ferrets will happily tear into a chick or an adult mouse, but give them anything larger than a young rat, and they ignore it. I know several people that do feed live prey, and while I do not condemn the practice, I also do not recommend it. I base this choice on information gotten from Dr. Susan Brown at the Portland Ferret Symposium. Dr. Brown is a vet who encourages feeding a prey diet, and who spoke on ferret nutrition at the Symposium. She recommends not feeding live prey for several reasons. First, she considers it inhumane. Yes, a ferret usually kills the prey very quickly, but not always. And, even if the kill is quick, there is still the fear before the fatal blow to the prey animal. Second, if the prey does fight back, there is always the possibility it will bite the ferret. Just like human mouths, animal mouths are filled with bacteria. Any bite that breaks the skin can cause infection. Finally, mice and rats sold in pet stores, especially those sold as feeder animals, are more likely to host parasites than prey animals sold by reputable dealers of frozen prey. So, it is healthier to feed pre-killed frozen prey. Under no circumstances should wild caught animals ever be fed. For people who want to provide their ferrets with raw food, but do not want to feed prey, there are commercially prepared raw diets. They come ground up, and looking like hamburger, but contain the bones and organ meats in addition to the muscle meat. The one disadvantage to this kind of diet is it will not help to clean the teeth, and may even contribute to the formation of tartar. People who choose to go this route will need to keep an eye on their ferrets teeth for possible tartar build-up and gum disease. Anyway, that is about all I have to say on this go round of the great food debate. The best advice I can give anyone on this subject is to keep an open mind, and read and learn as much as you can about ferret nutrition. No one has all the answers, and right now the best anyone has are theories. Learning about both sides of the controversy will help you make better choices. Danee DeVore ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know! For more information visit: http://www.ferretadv.com ADV - Find out how you can help: http://help4adv.terrabox.com/ [Posted in FML 6896]