Question about wysong ferret food

[Deleted]

I was looking up wysong ferret food. The archetype 1 . I was wondering if anyone had opinions about it or the brand in genral

[Sherry]

That is the freeze dried raw, so not a bad one at all Beware though they do tend to change formulas with little warning.
*Edited to add- if you do go with freeze dried raw(infinitely better than ANY kibble out there) make sure to feed two rehydrated meals a day as well as leaving a bit of it dry for snacking. Else you wind up with the same issue as with kibble- borderline dehydration.

[Deleted]

I used the Wysong Archetypal 1 for almost a year. Like Sherry said, I followed the guidelines for a frankenprey diet and offered different FDR proteins.
I have four ferrets and FDR is expensive. I used Wysong, Stella and Chewy's duck,duck,goose, and tummy ticklin turkey. I also bought Whole Life Cod and several varieties of Natures Instinct Raw.

I always rehydrated it, for the reason that Sherry said. I did try the frozen patties from Stella and Chewy's but mine did not care for those.

The Wysong Epigen 90 recently had a formula change. This change has caused alot of ferrets to have diarrhea. I haven't used the Wysong Archetypal 1 since I switched to raw, and so I don't know if the formula change included the Wysong Archetypal 1 or just the Eipigen 90.

[lyles]

What's the best cost effective FDR out there? Wysong's Archtype 1 is very expensive, like 7.5 oz for over 20$, but when I received a free sample the pieces were very light. So I don't know exactly how much 7.5 oz is. About how many feedings could you get out of a 7.5oz bag?

[Deleted]

Hmm. Ok. Well after this weekend i get my mischief to the vet for a checkup and such. I was thinking about switching to raw. But... if i were to switch to thiswysong food instead what would your opinions/suggestions be? Other than water should i mix it with anything else, like other food? Right now shes on evo ancestral diet

[miamiferret2]

it is good but expensive. I have the quail ferret archetype. freeze dried raw.

[Sherry]

Lyles it will reconstitute into a fair bit. Consider that most female ferrets only eat 1-3oz a day of raw it should last a fair bit rehydrated.

[Deleted]

I am scared about this brand, I don't trust it.

When I switched Pancho to Wysong Epigen 90 (kibble) he was doing fine, he loved it and I felt great because It was one of the best kibble I found as of nutrition. I noticed that Wysong changed their bag, and I didn't realize that they also changed their formula as well. Pancho started to have trouble eating, he was having discomfort and would grind his teeth often. At the time, this is all he ate and he was very healthy and active. Then within one his health deteriorated completely to a point where he was so frail he couldn't get up to use the bathroom.

At this time I had a caretaker watching him while I was at the hospital, unfortunately they did not notify me as soon as they saw the signs. When I took him to the vet he was given some medicine to help his discomfort. During his check up we had also found out that he has insulinoma. Due to these findings I didn't suspect the food at all, so the food also fed to our new ferret named Kona.

After kona started up on this food he started to have diarrhea as well, I saw that his poops went from firm to runny. He is very healthy and active now, and as soon as I saw the change I took him off it right away. I am currently transitioning them to the commercial raw diet and I plan on pushing them towards a raw diet slowly. All I can say is that I am staying away from this brand completely. I almost lost Pancho, and he will always have his IBD problems. I am really struggling to keep him healthy, and to find ways so that he can absorb his food better and have firm poop but its been over 4-5 months and he is struggling with his weight and he continues to have diarrhea.

If you look at their face book reviews you can see that many other ferret owners have had this same problem.
www.facebook.com/wysongpetfood?sk=reviews

[Deleted]

Im so sorry to hear about your trouble with those commercial foods. I finally have enough stuff to start to introduce some raw while I wait for a mentor. I can't wait to get off the commercial junk.

[Sherry]

Of all the kibbles, wysong's is still one of the best out there. They were really stupid in introducing that new version without field trials, which is why they now offer a "digestive support" one. It is essentially the same as the original.
However yes- I am SO glad I will never have to worry about formula changes, recalls, nothing. I'll never feed that stuff again.

[Deleted]

After the scare with wysong I went out and bought an 8lb bag of young again zero carb cat food instead, I know wysong has a great balance of nutrients but the beet pulp and veggies listed in the ingredients really worried me. Along with the kibble I mix in CarnivoreRAW formula which is a powder with whole prey and bone grind.

[Sherry]

Just checked the ingredient list. Obviously your decision but the two don't compare at all. Before starting raw I did feed kibble and learned to decipher an ingredients list.
Yours(not one real meat ingredient). Has chemicals instead of a little bit of veg.

INGREDIENTS: Chicken Meal, Pork Protein Concentrate, Poultry Fat (Preserved with Rosemary Extract, Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Tomato Pomace, Fish Oil, Natural Chicken Flavor, Herring Meal, Guar Gum, DL Methionine, L Lysine, Potassium Citrate, Potassium Chloride, Cellulose (Source of Dietary Fiber), Calcium Carbonate, Yeast, Yeast Extract, Fructooligosaccharides, Fat Product (Source of DHA Omega-3 from Algae), Taurine, Rosemary Extract, Mixed Tocopherols, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, L-Tryptophan, N, N-Dimethylglycine (DMG) HCI, L-Carnitine, Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Extract, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Fermentation Product Dehydrated, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Betaine Anhydrous, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacinamide, Copper Sulfate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin, Calcium Pantothenate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Propionate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Cobalt Sulfate.

Wysong's Archetypal 1 freeze dried raw(less than 5% of veg)

Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Organs, Ground Chicken Bone, Natural Flavor, Taurine, Organic Blueberry, Organic Barley Grass, Chia Seeds, Broccoli Sprouts, Carrots, Plums, Whey, Sea Salt, Dried Kelp, Yeast Extract, Citric Acid, Mixed Tocopherols, Rosemary Extract, Yeast Culture, Minerals (Potassium Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate), Calcium Carbonate, Vitamins (Ascorbic Acid [source of Vitamin C], Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid), Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus lactis Fermentation Product.

If you prefer to just take the first 5(most important) ingredients of each:
Chicken Meal, Pork Protein Concentrate, Poultry Fat (Preserved with Rosemary Extract, Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Tomato Pomace, Fish Oil,

Chicken, Chicken Organs, Ground Chicken Bone, Natural Flavor, Taurine,