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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2011 12:26:43 GMT -5
I took Hooligan to the vet for a check up and a BG test and thank god everything came out Ok. He said he had a nice coat and the BG was normal. Then he told me not to feed Raw witch made me MAD! >:(He said he has had three cases of E.coli and Salmonella Poisoning this year. I don't know If i believe that. He even said the Marshall's diets are good because they have been worked out over thousands of ferrets in labs. First of all feeding a carnivores animal any corn based food is just stupid second kibble is abrasive on teeth. Lastly Kibble is cooked witch means a lot of its nutritional value is lost. What i am getting at is can I take steps to keep my ferrets from getting E.coli and Salmonella Poisoning. I read that you can dip the meat in food grade peroxide then wash it off. what about soaking it in a salt and vinegar solution for a few minutes then washing it of? Has anyone ever had fuzz get E.coli or Salmonella Poisoning? If so what happened and what did you do?
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Post by melcab on Jun 20, 2011 12:33:50 GMT -5
Did you ask the vet was E. coli or Salmonella poisoning looks like in a ferret? I'm no ferret or even raw expert as I'm just starting, but first in order for any animal to get E. coli or Salmonella poisoning at all is if they eat raw meat containing those bacteria. That sounds obvious, but as I understand it, contrary to popular belief not all raw meat automatically contains those bacteria. So these animals first have to eat contaminated meat. I'd be more concerned with an issue with local meat supply...for the humans as well! Sorry, I don't know anything about washing the meat with any type of solution, but I'd definitely be interested in learning about it myself. And as always, please correct me if I'm wrong!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2011 12:43:56 GMT -5
What i am getting at is can I take steps to keep my ferrets from getting E.coli and Salmonella Poisoning. I read that you can dip the meat in food grade peroxide then wash it off. what about soaking it in a salt and vinegar solution for a few minutes then washing it of? Has anyone ever had fuzz get E.coli or Salmonella Poisoning? If so what happened and what did you do? Never - been raw feeding for a year. And many here that have fed even longer have never had issues with either bacteria. Truth is, salmonella is found NATURALLY in the gut of a ferret. Even kibble ferrets shed salmonella in their stools. Their stomach acids are extremely acidic and most bacteria don't survive the trip ;D Symptoms (this is an assumption) should be the same as in humans, yes? I wouldn't dip the meat in any peroxide or salt or vinegar. Just feed the meat as you normally would. They are equipped to handle the bacterial load.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2011 12:46:49 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2011 12:48:38 GMT -5
Honestly he's probably lying to scare you out of feeding raw. Think about what a ferret might eat in the wild - couple day old carcasses lying around, with bugs and flies all around. Much more risk for bacteria than our store bought meat.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2011 12:49:10 GMT -5
I know not all meat contains these infectious bacterias. What I am worried about Is giving them meat that has them. What I know about ferrets with the infections Is that its not always noticeable the most common symptoms are bloody stool and diarrhea resulting in dehydration.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2011 12:51:47 GMT -5
Well, due to the increased moisture content of raw (around 80%) dehydration is not much of a risk in raw fed ferrets. Not saying it doesn't happen, but even ferrets that have chronic diarrhea seem to stay relatively well hydrated. It is unlikely that any meat that contains those bacteria will be able to infect your ferret after it meets their stomach acids
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2011 12:53:45 GMT -5
Thanks Jackie This is what I was thinking. Hearing It from a vet Is kind of frightening though. We take risks with whatever we feed. Its not always true that a animal cant get the same thing from being fed a kibble diet.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2011 12:56:23 GMT -5
We take risks with whatever we feed. Its not always true that a animal cant get the same thing from being fed a kibble diet. Definitely. There are recalls all the times for pet foods contains salmonella and/or E. coli. I am not the "safest" when handling meat, and neither my fuzzies or I have gotten sick from it. I buy my meats from the grocery store.
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Post by melcab on Jun 20, 2011 12:56:57 GMT -5
But WHY do they do that?! Sorry but that just annoys me lol. Being uninformed about diet and lying about it are two different things, although almost as annoying, imo, in a veterinarian. One thing about raw diet that I have been thinking about though, is this: Even though in the wild that's what they would be eating (raw carcasses and such), how do we know that in wild polecats there ISN'T a high incidence of these types of food-borne illness? Has this been studied? (I assume it has since I have seen the same thing mentioned about their stomach acids before) Just trying to collect as much information as possible and learn from EVERYONE'S questions, not just my own.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2011 13:06:16 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2011 13:07:28 GMT -5
It suggests dipping the food in food grade hydrogen perixode. This is something I wouldn't feel comfortable doing - don't know how the ferret would react to it
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2011 13:31:43 GMT -5
THAT is were i got my info from. I would think you wash it of after but I don't know If it would change the taste or not. Or what the risk could be.
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Post by Sherry on Jun 20, 2011 13:36:47 GMT -5
To be honest, more companion animals get salmonella poisoning from kibble than raw. If the meat is contaminated enough to be dangerous to them, they won't touch it anyway how much do you want to bet the cases he says he saw has nothing to do with raw?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2011 14:34:03 GMT -5
This is what makes me mad about vets. They just want to make money not help your pets. I think I will find a new vet. I rather drive three hours out of my way to a better vet then be criticized for doing whats right for my kids. Sherry you have been doing this along time with no problems do you still get guff from your vet? I wish I could find a vet that was all for a raw diet.
Any tips for keeping everything clean? I clean with a vinegar and salt solution with all my animals. I like to clean with alcohol on poopy spots on the rugs when they don't want to go to the litter box. I never do it when they are out though. When its dry Its harmless.
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