Message Number: YG9437 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Lisa Shortley
Date: 2001-12-17 00:36:00 UTC
Subject: eating feces

> --- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., Cecilia McNamara
<mcnamaras.band@s...> wrote:
> She was fine at first, but now (about 3 months later) she is eating
her feces and > licking the urine....I am sorry to be so blunt about
it, but we are at a
> loss.....she didn't do this until recently (maybe about 3 weeks now)
and we can't > > > seem to get her to stop....


Well...While in Maryland several months ago, I was reading through a
ittle free magazine entitled "Pet Lovers Companion" and came across
what I found to be a rather humorous article. I'd posted this
information on another ferret list a while back because someone else was
experiencing their ferret eating feces as well. I don't know if it
rings true for ferrets as well, but it's a short article and may hold
some useful information.

Anyway...it's titled "Why Does My Dog Eat its Own Feces?"

To avoid copywriting problems, I can't rewrite the article but the
article basically states that animals eat their feces to absorb
nutrients from partly digested food. It can happen if you feed dogs
high levels of grain because high leveled grain type foods will leave
some grains behind in the feces.

Also, fish oils found in cat food (and then in cat feces) have been
proven appetizing for dogs as well. The article then says that the use
of a digestion aid enzyme can help stop dogs from eating their feces.

I'm not sure if this could possibly carry over to ferrets, but this is
what a small article states about dogs eating their own feces.
If you'd like a copy of the article, email me privately (fer8queen @
attbi . com without the spaces) and I'll send it over to you!

Anyway, hope this helps you - or at least made you laugh! :)
Take care!
Lisa Shortley

[Moderator's note: Lisa's note is because the copying of an article (or a post that someone else wrote) for republishing elsewhere (as in a list) can constitute copyright violation. It is legal, of course, to quote parts of an article, or to paraphrase. Also legal is getting permission from the owner first to use a piece for a re-publication. Giving a URL when one exists is fine, certainly. Alternatively, a person can paraphrase, if that suits best, which is what Lisa did here to avoid copyright violation problems. Even though some sources of information are easily acquired that is not the same as being public property -- and copyright protection is why newspapers and Steven King have felt so safe publishing on the Internet, in print, and on audio.
-- Sukie]