From:
dookranch
Date: 2002-06-01 14:26:00 UTC
Subject: Re: chronically ill ferret - update
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., caitlynmaire@e... wrote:
>
> > What are some good kibble cat foods
> > to try?
>
> Cat food simply doesn't have the nutrition your ferrets need. Stick
> with high quality ferret foods such as:
>
> Totally Ferret
> 8-in-1 Ultimate (*not* Ultra)
> Path Valley Chicken and Rice
> Zupreem Ferret Diet
> Mazuri
> The Ferret Store Superior Choice
>
I'm not sure what the Analysis is on these nor the price, but I would
suggest doing what we did. Take a notepad, go to the pet store and
check the nutritional label on the packages. I'm not promoting the
use of cat food, nor saying none of these ferret foods are any good,
just that when we did this, we found Iams kitten formula to actually
be higher in fat and protein and lower in fiber than any of
the name brand "ferret" foods that were in that particular store.
Check the ingredients. If the very first ingredient isn't meat,
forget it. I was very surprised when we did this just how
many "ferret" foods list corn meal or fish meal as the primary
ingredient. Look for the same requirements in the treats you buy. I
was shocked to see many of the ferret treats in a big name petstore
to have sugar as the primary ingredient.
Defintely do not base their care on dollars. Do some footwork, gather
all of your information together, and go from there.
Good luck.
[There is a past post from vet, Jerry Murray (perhaps more than one, actually) on the up-sides of fish as an ingredient that may be interesting for folks to pull up and read. I don't have time to search the archives right now but just use the search engine at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list
and use the search box, being sure to hit "next" as often as you need to since it searches in chunks. --Sukie]