From:
Maya bee
Date: 2002-01-22 17:13:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] Re: Ferret food
Hi,
Thanks for your response about the ferret food. I
appreciate your insight into this matter :) I
understand what you are saying about the vegetable
content, and there is quite a few different vegetables
in the food, but thier ratio is actually *very small*
in proportion to what the bulk of the food is made
from (ground meat, organ meat (heart and liver) and
ground bones).
"..from a ferret's perspective, vegetable supplements
are utterly wrong."
I disagree, vegetables cannot be ignored completely.
I am aiming for something a bit like the vegetable
matter found in the stomach of a prey animal (i.e.,
rabbit). I realize that ferrets are incapable of
digesting cellulose (which is what cell walls of
plants are made of)... but, the cell walls break down
in the process of freezing and thawing, thereby making
it possible for ferrets to absorb the nutrients
within. My major concern is with the flax seeds ever
since I've read that the Omega-6 fatty acid may
contribute to renal disease, but only because my
ferret eats daily -- many times a day. I agree that
in normal proportions, on occasion, the omega-6 fatty
acid is most likely benefitcial.
My ferret is crazy about the Home Made 4 Life raw
rabbit food. She seems distressed that I've
temporarily stopped feeding her with it. Every time
I'm in the kitchen, she waits by my feet, looking up,
thinking that I am preparing the food for her. I do
not know of any other company that makes holistic raw
ferret food. The link you provided has some very
interesting information. It aslo states that "Poultry
fat is more costly but more desirable for ferrets.
[Hagen uses only poultry fat]." I believe that the
Texas Ferret organization is trying to provide
guidance when reading lables on ferret foods, when it
states that "Chicken or poultry fat should be the
second or third ingredient in the list." As you
mentioned, chicken fat is not completely composed of
the Omega-6 fatty acid, it is mostly a "concentrated
source of energy and provides vitamins A, D, E, and
K." I do not know what the percentage of flax seeds
is composed of the Omega-6 fatty acid, but I have a
feeling it is much greater than 22%. Thank you for
bringing my attention to the Hagen food brand, it
appears like a worthwhile food product to investigate.
Do you happen to know what the ingredients of this
ferret food are? Unfortunately I didn't have any luck
finding this information on their website, nor the
pricing. Thanks again!
--- Melissa Litwicki <squirty@m...> wrote:
> > From: "ferret_girl79" <ferret_girl79@y...>
> > Subject: Ferret food
> >
>
> I visited the site you reference and feel strongly
> obligated to note that
> in no way, shape, or form do ferrets need the
> vegetable ingredients of
> this food. I am a strong proponent of raw food for
> pets, but "carrots,
> broccoli, cabbage, yams, celery, greens, squash,
> alfalfa, kelp, apples,
> garlic, parsley, and grapefruit seed extract" are
> totally unnecessary in
> the diet of an obligate carnivore like the ferret,
> and are in many cases
> undigestible by the ferret. Yes, you probably ought
> to supplement even a
> diet that consists of raw muscle meat, organs, and
> ground bone; however,
> from a ferret's perspective, vegetable supplements
> are utterly wrong.
>
> As far as flax goes, my vet recommended flax oil for
> my ferret's itchy
> skin. I find it unlikely that, in normal
> proportions in a natural diet,
> that omega-6 fatty acids cause renal failure. They
> are necessary for
> proper health for dogs, cats, and ferrets. The
> texasferrets URL you cite
> uses 'poultry fat' in its example list of 'good
> ingredients', which is
> interesting because chicken fat is composed of
> nearly a quarter linoleic
> acid, which is an omega 6 fatty acid...(see
>
http://www.hagen.com/canada/english/small/info_sheet.cfm?CAT=62&INFO=24)
>
> I encourage you to continue to feed raw meat to your
> pets, but to
> investigate formulations that don't have as many
> unnecessary ingredients.
>
> Melissa
>
>
>
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