From:
Edward Lipinski
Date: 2001-04-09 17:34:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] No ceacum nor colon, not good?
Dear Dr. Thomas Willard,
I am quite impressed with the fact that you were involved in
the research and work necessary in formulating the product
called Totally Ferret.
I would hope that you may care to describe the function of the
'ceacum' (were the ferret to have one) and also to describe
the function of the non-present ferret's colon, both from a
nutritional aspect.
Since the two are missing, as you write, in the ferret's
digestive system, how does this absence detract from the
ferret's ability to digest and assimilate various food stuffs?
Which creature, most closely related to the ferret's GI system
has these two missing parts, the ceacum and the colon, and how
in having these does their presence enhance that animal's
digestion and assimilation of its food stuffs?
These questions directed to your attention were generated by
you statement below.
........will contain blueberries, cranberries,
probiotics, etc. How can this be since ferrets
do not have a ceacum or a colon that would
benefit from these additives?
This is not related directly to the above, but why is it that
the various forms of sugar are considered such a terrible food
ingredient in the healthy and robust ferret and his diet? It
would seem, at least to this layman, that the ferret,
especially the ferret with its hyperactive activities (the
boing! boing! inverted 'U' dancing at every opportunity) would
certainly need a quickly digested and assimilated source of
energy that the various forms of saccharides provide. So it
would seem, but what often seems to be, may not. Your
comments, please.
Thank you for your contribution,
Edward Lipinski