From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2005-05-23 16:27:03 UTC
Subject: RE: Kibble causing insulinoma
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <6964566.1116865623084.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Author wrote:
> I recently heard a theory that kibble causes insulinoma because it is loaded
> with carbohydrates. It was suggested that kibble be replaced with raw
> chicken and only used as a supplement to the diet. Also, it was suggested
There is a HYPOTHESIS that this may be a route to insulinoma. At the moment it is based on about 5 stacked hypotheses beginning with work in cats showing a connection for carbohydrates and diabetes.
What further complicates the issue is that there is not any actual rate of insulinoma documented, so even if changing diets works there is no way to know for sure, nor to know how much of a change is made.
So, there is a lot that remains unknown. In areas where meat has been traditionally fed many people have not sought vet care in decent numbers until recent years (obviously not the sort of folks you find here :-) ), many vets have not looked for insulinoma (a topic brought up by FHL members in those areas who have encountered insulinoma), etc.
Furthermore it is not known if or how much of a role genetics may play in insulinoma rates. A number of us in the U.S. (including Steve and I) who have had ferrets before so many fancies were selected for recall very few ferrets with even the symptoms of insulinoma or of adrenal neoplasia despite kibble being a common diet back then and the good ones not available. That is NOT saying that the cheap kibble was good, because it is NOT. It is saying that perhaps something else changed.
So, it is hypothesis and it might well pan out, but it might not.
Personally, I am iffy on it at this point in time. For a while I was somewhat more inclined toward it until I found out how many stacked hypotheses and lack of measurement was involved BUT I am not a vet and like anyone else I've been wrong my share of the time.
The thing to recall is that the hypothesis certainly does have legs; whether they will be strong enough to stand on when more is known isn't known yet. It might even affect some ferrets more than others if it pans out should some have a good deal more vulnerability.
Among those things which perhaps are on the side of the hypothesis are the statements of breeders here who have brought breeding ferrets from areas where the original breeders said they did not enounter insulinoma or adrenal neoplasia. Then the breeders here found the ferrets winding up with those problems (Diet has not been connected to adrenal growths, but lack of enough darkness has in a hypothesis which has much fewer gaps than the diet and insulinoma hypothesis.) So -- does this mean that their vets simply failed to look for such diseases over there, or did changes in how they were being fed and housed play a part?
Is it "reaching" that this hypothesis is based on others -- not really for the investigative part of figuring thiings out. After all, if only baby steps were taken progress would be barely encountered.
The one thing I can advise is to read up and then if you decide to feed a non-kibble food maker sure that you feed a safe and balanced diet. An unbalanced diet or one with other disease risks poses documented known hazards. People who are not feeding kibble often use this recipe:
http://www.trifl.org/gravy.shtml
Be sure to no invest yourself too much emotionally in any hypothesis. Two things I like to remember about hypotheses come from physicists.
I will have to paraphrase, but Steve's doctoral advisor (a noted professor in high energy physics) said something along the lines of:
"If only 25% of your hypotheses pan out then you are choosing problems that are too hard, but if 75% of your hypotheses pan out then you are choosing problems which are too easy to make a significant contribution."
It is essential to not become emotionally invested in hypotheses because as Feynman wrote:
"It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong."
so it is a kindness to yourself to try to keep what is proven separate from what is postulated -- a harder task than it seems like it would be.
So, enjoy hypotheses as mind candy and know that once tested the results could be in either direction -- or there could even be some lateral surprises found. Then decide which way you choose to personally respond for now while you wait for more information to be known.
(Meanwhile, though, high sugar treats are still junk, those with a lot of raisins have a documented kidney risk, and those with dried chunks of fruit or veggies have been causes of blockages.)
BTW, although diabetes is more rare in ferrets than insulinoma it is harder to treat, so it may also be a good thing to keep diabetes studies done in other members of carnivora in the back of your mind in possible relation to ferret health for diabetes, too.