From:
ferret_girl79@yahoo.com
Date: 2004-03-26 21:36:46 UTC
Subject: Re: Carbohydrates, plant nutrients
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <7955275.1080337006580.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
> This brings up something I have been wondering about for a while: Jus=
t __How Well__ does plant matter need to be broken down for a ferret to be =
able to salvage nutrients from it?
> Is it a matter of simply grinding it into powder so that nutrients are re=
leased from the fiber casing? Or are we talking about processing at the mol=
ecular level--like down to polysaccharides and peptides and all that good s=
tuff?
> I ask because I wonder just how well an obligate carnivore can metabolize=
herbal supplements? I guess tinctures and extracts would be easier, but w=
hat about the pills we grind up that are really just powdered leaf or root =
product? What about things like spirulina and wheat grass juice--the so-cal=
led green foods?
I've wondered about this for a long time as well, and I've posted questions=
with regard to this matter on the Natural Ferrets Yahoo group where topics=
of this nature are somewhat more frequent, but even there no one had an an=
swer for me.
I've even posted here about including supplemental enzymes into the diet, w=
hich I presume theoretically would aid in the digestion of certain foodstuf=
fs that would otherwise be undigestable for the ferret, or aid digestion in=
general (i.e., pancreatic enzymes). But no one had an answer for that eit=
her. I believe that if certain supplemental enzymes work for humans, why s=
hould they not work for ferrets either? The German company MUCOS Pharma ev=
en makes pancreatic enzyme supplements for dogs, which can also be given to=
cats. But anyway, I guess to answer the question of how well plant matter=
needs to be broken down before nutrients can be obtained from it, you woul=
d have to start to look at what happens in the wild.. when a polecat/ferret=
consumes a rodent or a rabbit and part of the stomach contents/s.intestine=
content - matter which has already been broken down to a certain extent by=
the microflora of the animal's s.intestines. I don't know how that can be=
duplicated, other than feeding ferrets raw prey animals. I don't know to =
what extent the ferret can break down this matter on its own, if at all.. =
though since it can digest carbohydrates (with much difficulty & the troubl=
e that the system has to go through in order to do so) and its system is no=
t meant to digest it, perhaps it can digest plant matter (i.e., herbs) to s=
ome extent as well..? I know that herbal tinctures are the most efficientl=
y absorable forms of substances vs. the ground-up powder form or teas. I g=
ive my ferret several different herbal tinctures (and keep a detailed log, =
etc.) Although they work on a gradual basis and many people just dismiss th=
em completely believing they do not work at all - perhaps because they make=
the mistake of thinking that herbs should work like drugs and have immedia=
te results. I haven't used any drugs on my ferret because I know they only=
treat the symptoms not the cause of the problem, come with severe side-eff=
ects sometimes, only make the overall condition worse in the long run. Tha=
t's my opinion of drugs, and I'm sticking to it :)
> Is flax oil less digestible than cod liver oil? Or is it already simple e=
nough that the ferret can process?
I know that flax seed oil must go through a process in the body to convert =
ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) into EPA, whereas fish oil provides EPA directly=
. Fish oil also provides DHA, another omega-3 fatty acid important for the=
brain and nervous system. If you are going to get fish oil, make sure it =
is of good quality and from wild caught, not farmed fish (i.e., salmon).. a=
s the farmed fish have a high concentration of toxins. Even "pharmaceutica=
l grade" oil supplements use oil from farm fish, they just have a higher co=
ncentration of the EFA's.
=
=
End of ferrethealth Digest
***********************************