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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2014 13:20:39 GMT -5
My apologies if I've missed it on here somewhere, but I've been asked the question that if fruit is bad for ferrets where is the written proof. I've found quite a few people saying this on blogs etc, but is there anything official/vet written that I can use to back up the claim. I really want to give sound information to people backed up with proof! Thank you in advance
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2014 13:31:59 GMT -5
Well, for starters, ferrets are obligate carbivores. Ferrets lack a cecum, a biological organ that digests fiber. So ferrets not only can't digest the fiber and use it, they can become blocked from excessive fiber. What doesn't block them pretty much comes out the other end undigested.
Second, fruits are full of sugar. Ferrets aren't meant to have that much sugar. They're meant to eat meat- aka, a vast majority of protein, followed by fat, and a small, small minority of carbs. Ferrets who ingest too much sugar frequently develop problems, such as diseases like insulinoma.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2014 13:44:48 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2014 14:17:11 GMT -5
Brilliant, thanks so much!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2014 14:23:32 GMT -5
Alex, thanks, but I already know all the above, I was asking for official sources to back up what I already know
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Post by miamiferret2 on Aug 30, 2014 15:47:12 GMT -5
Google "re-thinking the ferret diet" by susan brown, dvm.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2014 16:13:10 GMT -5
Alex, thanks, but I already know all the above, I was asking for official sources to back up what I already know Why not call an exotic vet then? Get an official statement. You can hear what you already know from a professional.
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Post by Heather on Aug 30, 2014 20:32:38 GMT -5
Not likely...many vets are still not on board with this and raw feeding. You will get them to admit that they're obligate carnivores but they're ok with various fruits as treats. So don't necessarily expect to get a straight answer about fruits and veggies from a vet ciao
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2014 22:53:40 GMT -5
Yes, a lot of Vets strongly disagree with raw feeding unless they're holistic. My Vet is a %100 fan of crappy kibble brands, especially Iams, he LOVES Iams. Anything that you can get at the dollar general, he recommends. A few years ago when I mentioned raw feeding to him he flipped and shot me down, talking about parasites and a bunch of other stuff that isn't necessarily true. It's how they bend the truth, change it to, "Obligate carnivore yes, but years of domestication change blah blah...." this and this and a 20 minute long speech, and then he suggest Purina.
Sad, but true.. maybe someday there will be more Vets that agree with it, it is the best thing for them.
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Post by raynebc on Aug 30, 2014 23:00:03 GMT -5
It will probably take more BARF vendors to sponsor veterinarians to get them educated and familiar with raw diets. If kibble companies are the only ones keeping in heavy contact with vets, that's what the vets will know about.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2014 1:57:52 GMT -5
My vet was the same, when George was in after his insulinoma op with susoected IBD the vet was unhappy we had him on raw and wanted us to go back to kibble. He is supposedly the only vet that specialises in ferrets, and was trying to tell me that raw food isn't nutritionally complete, even after I explained they get a mixture of whole prey and meat/organs. He was having none of it so I just left and didn't mention the raw again. It's a shame, I'd really like a better vet but I just can't find one that I can get to!
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Post by bitbyter on Aug 31, 2014 7:31:59 GMT -5
Honestly it is none of their business what we feed our pets. If anything is wrong they should be able to determine what it is via testing. When you go to the doctor do you tell him up front you are a vegetarian? No, he or she diagnosis's you based on testing.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2014 8:02:02 GMT -5
Exactly. If I decide to feed my ferrets raw, and I bring them in for ear mites, I don't need to hear a lecture on how "wrong" it is to feed them that. Feed them what they were designed to eat.
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Post by racheld on Aug 31, 2014 10:00:28 GMT -5
One of my favorite things is meeting a new vet who compliments me on Remus' smell, coat, and overall health and then balks at a raw diet because it's supposedly not as healthy as Totally Ferret (what that vet recommended). Yeah, okay.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2014 11:39:46 GMT -5
I can't wait for my Vet to see the ferrets in a few months when they get their shots and seeing how much they've improved and then we'll see how he flips about the raw diet, I try not to argue with him because I shadow my vet usually on a weekly basis, but they don't always know more.
For instance, I was asking my vet about lupron injections for adrenal and he told me they were another word for deslorelin, then the next day he called me and apologized, and told me I was right.
Ha.
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