Message Number: YG656 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Edward Lipinski
Date: 2001-03-04 00:22:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] Re Cleo's Paws

For Donna and her ferret Cleo (with the skin problem)

Am curious to know if Cleo is a big fan of Ferretone. One of the
ingredients in Ferretone is biotin at 13 micrograms per 473 milliliters
of Ferretone. The reason I center on the biotin is from the compendium
of Natural Medicines, a Comprehensive Database, that on page 118 states,
and I paraphrase:

The lack of biotin, also known as Coenzyme R, D-Biotin, Vitamin H and W
Factor, may be the reason for seborrheic (relating to sebaceous glands)
dermatitis (on human infants). Collateral symptoms are hair loss,
brittle nails (claws), malnutrition, weight loss, and some other threats
to good health.

Please bear in mind that the above conditions are described for human
mammals and not necessarily for the ferret mammal. HOWEVER, one may ask
why this Vitamin H is always included in the formulation of Ferretone?
It's certainly not included for no purpose, but must serve a valuable
purpose - whatever it is.

So if you don't dose your Frettchen with suggested dosages of Ferretone,
you perhaps should consider doing so in concert with your Veterinarian's
approval.

And even if you do dose with Ferretone, be aware that raw eggs,
particularly the uncooked "white" of the egg may be quite hazardous to
ferret health. The reason for this, and again I paraphrase,

The uncooked egg white contains active avidin. Avidin is an
inhibitor of Biotin. Since Biotin is normally present in "micro-micro
quantities relative to a ferret's tissues and body fluids, and avidin is
there in humongous amounts, comparitively, the uncooked egg white, even
in minute amounts, can deplete perhaps completely whatever amount of
Biotin present.

I would assume that you, as most ferret owners do, refrain from feeding
your ferret raw eggs. Eggs, cooked to the whitening and cottage-cheese
curd like state, along with the highly nutritous yolk offer superb food
value to the ferret with no risk of Biotin depletion.

Here at Ferrets North West, eggs are a regular ingredient in our cooked
home-made, fresh meat ferret soup.
Acceleration of digestive and assimilative functions in the ferret GI
tract have been enhanced here by including active bacterial cultures
found in typical yoghurt. This is suggested here as a possible
enhancement to good ferret health since anything we can add to the
ferret's diet to aid digestion and assimilation of foods is of obvious
benefit. I write this because the transit time of chyme (the yuckky
stuff inside the stomach and gut) through the ferret GI tract (incl. the
72-inches of intestine) is quite rapid in comparison to most larger
mammals, so it seems to me that by innoculating the gut with benefical
"germs" we can't be doing too much damage to the Frettchen.

We are doing something right - why? Because, since 1981 we've had the
"Pleasure" of dealing with Epizootic Catarrhal Enteritis (ECE) . . .
.NOT ONCE.

Edward Lipinski at F.E.R.R.E.T.S. NW Foundation a nonprofit shelter and
husbandry.