From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2006-12-22 16:53:10 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: older ferret (6.5yrs) choking on kibble
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Three quick pointers:
Past studies noted in the vet text _Biology and Diseases of the Ferret_ show that prolonged
use of softened food is worse for dental tartar than hard kibble, and ultimately that could
impact on gum health if it gets too bad.
Also, if choking is often repeated do look into possible causes, including MegaE. (There is
a great write-up on MegaE here:
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/megaesophagus.htm
What are the markings of this ferret? Some with pronounced head neural crest variant
markings such as blazes or panda heads have differences in the structure of their
mandibles which prevent them opening fully so chewing could be more difficult. I've never
encountered one of those myself but others have written of this, and I think you'd find
those in the FML (not FHL) archives:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
Bolting food is a common behavior in either homes or the wild for many members of
Carnivora, though, and just needs to be expected to happen at times. Hey, gotta wolf the
lion's share...
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