I've been reading so many posts about sick ferrets, and I really feel the need to post again about the benefits of feeding Bob C's Chicken Gravy to ferrets with insulinoma and other illnesses. It is also a great "in between" food after duck soup to get them started eating on their own again. Some of you may remember my prior post about my insulinomic ferret, Shania. At that time, she had been on the chicken gravy for about 2 months. I had reduced her pred dose in half and her glucose level, after an 8 hour fast, was 93. There was some concern about fasting her so long and about the sugar in the chicken gravy. I took Shania to the vet again today for a glucose test. She has been completely off pred now for about 4 weeks. She gets no medication whatsoever. She eats the chicken gravy (for two weeks now with the full amount of sugar in the recipe), and has begun eating kibble on her own again. She has so much energy, she is able to scale the Plexiglas barrier between rooms here. She plays and romps exactly like my other ferrets. She has completely lost the "pred belly", her weight is down to a healthier level, and her coat is now silky again. I did not fast Shania today (there was concern in the past that a shorter fast would have shown her glucose level to be "out of sight"). It had probably been about 1-2 hours since she had eaten. Her glucose was 90...within the normal range. My vet's comment was "This is absolutely amazing!" Since my vet told me that pred can cause lethargy and weight gain, it can only be in the ferrets' best interests, for the best quality of life possible, that pred be kept to an absolute minimum. Bob's Chicken Gravy can do that. I won't claim all ferrets with insulinoma will be able to get completely off the pred like Shania did, but it CAN be reduced. More and more people are seeing these fantastic results. Although I have no proof, I can't see why this food could not possibly minimize other illnesses in our ferrets. This gravy can be blended again after cooking to make a thin gravy (to use as a "duck soup") or it can be left "chunkier" to use as a main food. I had two ferrets that were ill and had been on duck soup for over a year each. Neither would eat regular food. Both are now eating on their own after a few weeks of the chicken gravy. I have 14 ferrets and every one gets chicken gravy twice a day. They still eat kibble, although not nearly as much. Every one has more energy, is healthier and simply acts "happier". Their coats are all silkier and they aren't nearly as "itchy" as they used to be, probably due to the amount of fat in the gravy. Please...if you have sick ferrets and truly want them to be better...take the time and effort to make this. Feel free to e-mail me directly. Some of us who have made it have learned some "short cuts", some "tips and tricks" to make it easier to make. It still it isn't easy to make but it is worth every minute it takes. Judy [Posted in FML issue 2655]