Message Number: YG10317 | New FHL Archives Search
From: sukieferret
Date: 2002-01-20 21:41:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Ferret food

Could you provide the bibliography for that article? It might help.

Did a very quick check (so not complete by any means) and the
only concern I can find for non-pregnant individuals in relation to
flaxseed oil is that it should be stopped before surgery and not
given for a while afterward, and it should not be given when a
disorder or med that reduces clotting is present since it also can
reduce clotting. That was from a human health reference, _PDR
for Nutritional Supplements_ , so may or may not behave the
same way in ferrets, and the _Herb-Drug Interaction Handbook
says that the mucilage content of flaxseeds can decrease
absorption of other drugs (which, BTW mentioned that safflower
oil can cause similar coagulation problems to those mentioned
for flaxseed oil).



--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "ferret_girl79" <ferret_girl79@y...>
wrote:
> Hi there,
>
> I'm new to this list and I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity
> to participate in this wonderful group :)
>
> I also have a very important question regarding flax seeds in
ferret
> food. I will have to give a bit of background information from a
> specific source. In the January 1998 Newsletter on Nutrition,
put
> out by Ferret Lovers' Club of Texas, it states:
>
> "Red meat fats (such as beef tallow) are not desirable; and
have the
> undesirable Omega-6 fatty acid, which may contribute to renal
> disease."
>
> "Furthermore, safflower oil, also containing Omega-6, could
lead to
> renal disfunction."
>
> As far as I know, Flaxseed (oil) also contains the Omega-6
Fatty
> Acid, so I assume that flaxseed should not be fed to ferrets
either.
> I found this to be a very disturbing discovery because I have
been
> feeding my ferret "Home Made 4 Life"
(www.homemade4life.com) raw
> Ferret food which contains ground flax seeds, for over 6
months now.
> I do not feed the raw food by itself as it does not contain *all*
the
> essential nutrients a ferret needs, so I feed half "Tottally Ferret"
> and half the "Home Made 4 Life". But now I am concerned over
the
> fact that the raw food contains flax seeds.
>
> Is my concern over flax seeds a legitimate one? If so, why are
there
> food products out there for ferrets containing this dangerous
> ingredient? Another example is the NUPRO ferret supplement
> (www.nuprosupplements.com/ferret_info.html) which also
contains
> flaxseeds.
>
> Any insight would be appreciated. Thank you.