From:
Claire Curtis
Date: 2002-06-04 22:32:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Re: The Food Issue
Okay, here is my heresy:
I think the "obligate carnivore" status of ferrets is sometimes taken
too literally. As any vegetarian knows, proteins are made of amino
acids, and the trick to a balanced protein diet is to include all the
necessary amino acids in the proper proportions. Amino acids from plants
are essentially no different from those from meat. HOWEVER, most plants
do not contain the appropriate balance of amino acids; thus it is easier
to obtain the proper balance from meat sources. Meat may well be the
'best source' for a proper balance of amino acids, vitamins, fat, and
fiber. But that doesn't mean it are the only possible source, or that a
commercial food should be eliminated from consideration because it uses
plant sources instead of meat sources.
What does 'obligate carnivore' really mean? Dentition shows teeth
adapted to tear meat, rather than to open nuts or grind grain. Grain,
therefore (as an example) will not undergo the initial mastication that
enables further digestion, and will essentially go through as fiber.
While not poisonous, this excessive fiber may cause some stomach upset,
and if too much is eaten may prevent the ingestion of other food from
which better nutrition could be derived. This could be serious in an
animal with as high a metabolism as a ferret. Similarly, lack of a
caecum will limit the nutrition that can be gleaned from raw plants.
Just as humans, lacking the appropriate gut bacteria, cannot digest
cellulose and therefore cannot extract much nutrition from unprocessed
leaves, so ferrets cannot digest some of the complex carbohydrates found
in plants. However, just as humans can digest leaves that have been
appropriately processed, so ferrets can obtain nutrition from vegetable
sources that have been appropriately processed. Evaluating a food should
therefore be more a matter of what nutrients are present, and in what
proportions, rather than what was the origin of those nutrients.
I remember a controversy many years ago, about whether vitamin C made
from rose hips was superior to vitamin C made from coal tar derivitives.
Personally, I prefer to buy the not-as-refined rose hip vitamin C; I
think it tastes better, I feel better thinking that it is more
'natural', and have a sneaking hope that maybe there are traces of other
substances that are good for you. But I also know that if you are
talking about pure ascorbic acid, it really doesn't matter what the
chemical precursors were; the chemical structure is the same.
I also feel that a certain (very small) amount of fruit or vegetable
matter may actually be good for a ferret. It was not so very long ago
that the need for eating indigestible stuff (ie, fiber) was not
recognized for humans, but now we know that a lack of fiber can cause
problems. That may not be the case here, but there is a difference
between being partially indigestible and being harmful. In any case,
most ferrets seem to have a sweet tooth (I have been told that this
applies to wild ferrets as well). If this trait caused ferrets to choose
food that would harm them, it would have been selected against and would
not be so widespread. Now, the abundance of sugar sources in our current
(man-made) environment is wildly beyond what such a trait would have
evolved for, and so the intake of sweet things should not be encouraged
-- but small amounts should at least do no harm, and the existence of a
'sweet tooth' suggests that those foods may serve some purpose.
Well, having exposed my heresy, I will now back off -- I feed my guys
Totally Ferret, 8-in-1 Ultimate, Eukanuba kitten, and Iams kitten.
Sometimes I experiment with other high-quality ferret or kitten food,
but those are the staples. I feed at least two varieties at a time, at
opposite ends of the same bowl so I can tell what's popular.
As long as they are eating a goodly amount of their regular food,
anything else is a potential treat. They steal food from the cats, and
get raisins and cheerios as treats. I will let them taste just about
anything, though I watch them and don't let them have too much. Sam
loves bits of any vegetable or fruit, and is especially fond of
blueberries and cranberries. Frankie has a fanatical desire for yoghurt
and tapioca. Missy isn't into treats; she will taste just about
anything, but reserves her enthusiasm for ferretone or hempseed oil.
None of them shows any interest in meat or meat babyfood, though Frankie
has been willling to taste fish.
The point here is that whatever they try as a treat, I make sure the
quantity is negligible in proportion to their regular diet. I think the
real danger is in forcing them to eat only one thing. Dietary
requirements are not static; they are a function of activity level,
stress, life stage, and health status. They are constantly changing. I
do not think that any one food, no matter how carefully designed, will
be perfect all the time for everyone.
"Moderation in all things" - Publius Erentius Afer, 190-159 BC.
- Claire and the gang: Sammy the Great White Weasel, Lord Franklin the
Intrepid (albeit timid) Explorer, and Missy Boo who's just looking for
trouble.