From:
Betty
Date: 2002-06-02 10:51:00 UTC
Subject: The Food Issue
Forgive me if someone has stated this before, but I just wanted to add
my .02 worth here,
Having lived with ferrets for such a long time (17+ years) I started to
compare what other long term ferret owners were feeding their ferrets
way before we started to be serious about what to feed our ferrets. In
our group, we had the experiences of people who had ferrets for 25+, 20+
and all the way to us at 17+. We all fed our ferrets cat and kitten
foods. We all fed them treats that consisted of raisins and linatone,
some vegetables and an assortment of table scraps. All of us had ferrets
that died in the upper years with the lowest being 8 and the rest in the
double digit ranges. None of us did anything special with our ferrets,
taking them for trips to the park, letting the swim in community water
places, with the only exception of vaccinations which some did yearly
and others did not at all. The ferrets were all neutered and descented
when we bought them.
The only known illnesses that were treated were adrenals and cancers
which involved the bones. None of us were aware way back when of the
types of illnesses that we see today. None of us had any real ferret
knowledgeable person to talk to. We all just winged it. Mind you, we did
not know about what we were seeing either. I had an insulinomic ferret
years ago but it wasn't name that way back when. I also had an epileptic
ferret too and no one could tell me anything about how it affects
ferrets.
In talking with a vet the other day, we spoke of this diet thing. This
vet tended to feel too that maybe ferret specific foods don't contribute
as much as we'd like to think when we talk about health of the ferret.
Many ferrets are fed cat and kitten foods today and are seen by in this
vet practice and none of them are worse for wear. Now it is a given that
the ferret kibbles manufactured today certainly do have a direct affect
on the outward appearance of the ferrets we feed it to... softer and
shinier coats are definitely seen. But the question is, just how much of
an affect does diet have on the ferret when us long timers have seen
ferrets live long lives, and in some cases, longer lives that what we
see today?
Don't get me wrong... I'm not promoting not feeding high quality ferret
foods to ferrets. I made the switch a long time ago and I intend to keep
it that way. In fact, I am slowly but surely moving to the BARF diet.
But as a person who ponders many of life's more interesting questions, I
must also ponder this one.
So what really are the factors that have changed from way back when to
now? We were ignorant of many things we know of today... but why does it
seem that we were, as a group, more successful in caring for our
ferrets, and saw longer lives at a time when little was known about
them?
Just something to ponder...
betty and her blur o'fur
for the love of ferrets