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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2015 13:17:27 GMT -5
Hi everyone,
I have a 6 year old ferret who I'm looking to try to start on a raw diet, he's been kibble fed his whole life. I've read so many threads on here and around the internet, and it's pretty overwhelming. I know this information is out there so I'm sorry if I'm asking stupid questions! I've been looking at commercial raw foods, like Bravo! Chicken basic diet for cats, which I saw recommended here. On their website it says its intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding. What would I be supplementing this with? I was also looking at Stella and Chewy's FDR and Frozen dinners. I unfortunately cannot do homemade raw right now, and I obviously don't want to just be feeding him something that is intended just as a supplement. How can I give him a balanced healthy meal with commercial raw products? Thanks!
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Post by raynebc on Feb 23, 2015 17:11:20 GMT -5
I think the issue is that any food not deemed complete by AAFCO's guidelines has to be labeled as being for supplemental use. When I was switching away from kibble, I used both Wysong's Archetype and Stella and Chewy's FDR products. Ultimately I found the Wysong harder to use, it didn't come in any consistently-sized pieces so measuring it was more difficult and depending on the protein (especially rabbit) it was extremely dry and hard to even crumble up with your bare fingers. I still add a little Stella and Chewy's to my ferrets' meals, because they already like it and it helps them accept their muscle, bone in and organ meals. Also, it has some probiotics and whatever trace minerals are in the AAFCO profile so I see it as a good supplement to a frankenprey diet. Supplements aren't supposed to be needed on this type of diet, but it doesn't hurt and lots of folks find you have to do whatever is necessary to get them to eat all of their organs.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2015 22:08:17 GMT -5
Oh, that makes sense. I have another question I guess, is it possible to do do a raw diet with all commercial food, not preparing it myself?
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Post by msav on Feb 23, 2015 22:24:07 GMT -5
AAFCO may have guidelines for dogs and cats and maybe some other animals, but they have no guidelines for ferrets.
just look at what is at the pet store labeled "Ferret Food"
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2015 22:40:20 GMT -5
In the pet stores I've been to since I wanted to get my ferret off kibble, looking for things labeled "ferret food," I've only found more kibble. He most likely has insulinoma, and I'm trying to keep him as healthy as possible right now. I'm not trying to sound stupid, I really want to get him on a raw diet, but its difficult because I am not the only one who feeds him. On days I'm gone for a long period of time I have my roommates check on him, and I'm going to be out of the country for a month soon and he will be with my mom. I know feeding raw takes a lot of work so I'm trying to make it as easy as possible, since the decision also affects my friends and family who are so nice to help me out when I need it.
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Post by Celene on Feb 23, 2015 23:48:17 GMT -5
First of all, in general ferrets shouldn't be kept on a commercial raw long term because they need the bones in order to clean their teeth. If you are feeding commercial raw you should also be brushing teeth 2-3 times weekly.
In terms of convenience, I prepare, weigh and portion all my raw meals a week in advance. I use the super-mini tupperware containers and label them "Mon AM" "Mon PM" "Tues AM" etc. I would prepare further in advance except I only have a tiny freezer so there's no room.
How soon will you be leaving the country? Most ferrets take at least 1-2 months to fully transition (older ferrets tend to take longer since they're fussier and set in their ways) although if you have at least a couple weeks you can probably switch your fuzzy to commercial before you leave.
As for the Bravo food, the chicken and turkey meals look like they could potentially be balanced, but it's hard to tell without them listing the percentages of their ingredients.
In general, in a commercial raw you want:
Muscle: 60-70% (basically anything that's not bone/heart/organ)
Bone: 10-15%
Heart: 10-15%
Liver/other organ: 10% max (combined)
If you contact the company they might tell you. The "gizzard" in their ingredient list counts as muscle not organ. The rabbit and duck are probably not balanced as they have liver listed before heart on the ingredients (ferrets need heart for taurine).
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2015 10:10:27 GMT -5
Hi Celene, thanks for answering. I didn't know that you shouldn't keep them on commercial raw long term. I'm leaving in June, so not so soon, but soon enough that I want to get started asap so he'll be comfortable and wont give my mom any more problems than this little menace has to  Thanks for those percentages, really good to know what to look for! This is pretty overwhelming and I never even thought about switching to raw until about a week ago. Theres so much information its hard to process it all. Another question- I'm seeing my vet next friday (long story short...he has insulinoma symptoms and may have had a seizure about 4 months ago. Vet said he seemed fine and to "watch for another episode" to put him on medication which hasn't happened yet...but I decided I'm not WAITING for another seizure). I have read that a lot of vets don't know or don't like a raw diet. I usually see 2 vets, one is more into homeopathic treatments, and I'm hoping he will be at least okay with, and at most knowledgeable about it. Is there a good way to go about this in terms of my vet? Should I wait until I see him to talk about it with him, or should I just do it and tell him I'm doing it? |
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Post by raynebc on Feb 24, 2015 14:09:31 GMT -5
I'd suggest being well-read on the subject ahead of time. If they question whether you'll be able to provide a balanced diet, you can describe the diet you plan to feed.
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