From:
AFERRETVET@cs.com
Date: 2002-01-22 17:12:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] more on omega fatty acids, some
web references
Hi Linda and George,
You are right both Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty oils are needed
in the diet, but it is the ratio of the 2 that is important.
In dogs and cats, the ratio of O-6 to O-3 should be 5 to 1
to 10 to 1. It is likely the ferrets ratio would be similar to the
cats.
Flax seed oil contains the O-3 alpha linolenic acid (ALA). ALA
is roughly 53% of the flax seed oil. Thus it is a good source of an
O-3.
However fish oil contains 2 different O-3 oils. Fish oil contains
Eicosaletraenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
Beef fat contains mostly O-6 oils and Arachidonic acid (AA)
AA is considered an essential fatty acid for cats and likely
needed by ferrets also.
The big picture is flax seed oil is good but fish oil is probably
better. That is why Iams kitten, Eukanuba kitten, Totally Ferret,
and Marshall's ferret food all have fish oil in them. (Marshall's
also uses fish as protein source.)
Now for the biochemistry part, it is the position of the first
double bond from the terminal end of the oil that determines
if it is an omega 3 or 6 or 9 oil.
Hope that helps,
Jerry Murray, DVM