Vet vs research?

[PorkbunPrincess]

Hey guys! So I've been feeding my 3-4 month old kit raw for about a month now. I portioned everything out as recommended by weight from what I've read here (boy that was a lot of reading!) and actually began feeding him more because he's young, growing, and hungry! I know he may not be getting enough bone, because he doesn't always eat it all and has somewhat loose poops. I plan on supplementing with a human-grade bone meal (now brand). I also give him 1 egg yolk a week and add a little wild salmon oil to his food (sparingly)

He just had his first visit with the vet, and they're essentially trying to tell me that "new research suggests that the BARF diet (what a name) is not as balanced as you think, and you should strongly consider changing to (or supplementing) with a commercial raw diet or kibble, because he's probably not getting enough vitamins etc. etc. and it's probably cheaper!" (it's not...)

I didn't argue because I hate trying to argue with people when it's their actual profession, but I also know that vets don't get much training in nutrition.

Basically what I'm saying is that I'm not inclined to believe the vet, and felt a little frustrated at them for saying "you should do more research" to me. I've done so many hours of reading now

I can't find anything that would suggest that the diet my ferret is eating is imbalanced, other than the slight lack in bone that I'm already preparing to address. I do also think he could benefit from more variety in protein (currently 3 types) but again, I'm preparing to address that.

Am I off my rocker? Everyone trusts their vets so strongly but with my ferret's diet I don't think I'm budging. What do you guys think?

P.S. How much bone meal supplement should I sprinkle on his food? I don't want to use too little and of course I don't want to use too much either!

Thanks guys (:

[cockneyferret]

It's very normal for vets to suggest commercial grinds or kibble as both come in clearly labelled packages with listed percentages and they therefore look at them as controlled foods. They have to work on the assumption that you don't do your research, don't want what's best for them and they have the better knowledge( which in most part they do, having trained for 7+ years).

However, I have always found that the condition of my ferrets skin, teeth and fur proves that they're on the best diet I can give them and vets will tend to side with you once you overcome their initial blanket response that all pet owners are dumb.

If you show that you understand a ferrets dietary needs and have researched, prepared and planned accordingly then most vets do come around to our way of thinking. It's all about slowly building trust with your vet and proving your competence.

The fact that your here, asking questions and seeking the best information is a good step in the right direction.

I once had a very healthy debate with one vet about raw feeding and having agreed to disagree, they then rang me out of the blue about 3 weeks later to ask my advice on raw feeding a ferret they were caring for, so it does work. Stick to your ground, show competence, listen to their side of the story and you shouldn't have too many issues.

[PorkbunPrincess]

Jan 29, 2021 4:13:39 GMT -5 cockneyferret said:

It's very normal for vets to suggest commercial grinds or kibble as both come in clearly labelled packages with listed percentages and they therefore look at them as controlled foods. They have to work on the assumption that you don't do your research, don't want what's best for them and they have ......

Thanks so much. This is super helpful. It was the first time I've been to this vet, as I was living out of state for a while, so I definitely didn't plan on trying to state my case right off the bat.

I have a tendency to be sort of timid toward people in these situations anyway, but going forward I hope to feel empowered and confident enough to stand my ground with the vet. The vet tech who initially took my info was actually the one who said "new research says it's not balanced" and I really wanted her to show me where she read that, lol. Then the vet sounded disappointed that I wouldn't consider switching and gave me a verbal overview of ferrets which felt sort of like he was saying I'm dumb/don't know anything about the animal I'm caring for.

I think/hope vet conversations will improve. Your story gave me a lot more confidence that it *can* turn around! Thanks again (:

[Sherry Stone]

To get stubborn healthy ferrets to eat more bone, use some "tough love". Example, he has a wing for a meal, eats most of the meat off the bone, nibbles the bone. Start by segmenting the wing, including cutting the middle in two, and the drumette lengthwise along the bone exposing as much marrow as possible. For one meal, give him one piece of the middle section, and one piece of the drumette. You will want him to be a bit hungry over a couple days. Next meal remove everything he hasn't eaten, then give the other piece of middle section and the other half drumette. Repeat as needed for a couple days until he is eating pretty much all of it. Once he gets used to eating the bones again, it won't be an issue.
Ferrets tend to be very lazy eaters if they can get away with it. You just have to not let him get away with it!

[PorkbunPrincess]

Jan 29, 2021 10:50:18 GMT -5 Sherry Stone said:

To get stubborn healthy ferrets to eat more bone, use some "tough love". Example, he has a wing for a meal, eats most of the meat off the bone, nibbles the bone. Start by segmenting the wing, including cutting the middle in two, and the drumette lengthwise along the bone exposing as much marrow as possible. For one meal, give him one piece of the middle section, and one piece of the drumette. You will want him to be a bit hungry over a couple days. Next meal remove everything he hasn't eaten, then give the other piece of middle section and the other half drumette. Repeat as needed for a couple days until he is eating pretty much all of it. Once he gets used to eating the bones again, it won't be an issue.
Ferrets tend to be very lazy eaters if they can get away with it. You just have to not let him get away with it!

Great idea! My kitchen knife may not be strong enough to cut lengthwise. I've been using kitchen shears for breaking through bone because of this, lol! Do you know the best way to go about it? The knife is *sharp* but not great for thicker boney pieces

[abbeytheferret6]

what about using a cleaver(stuff may go a flyin)I do not have one. Maybe a hammer?

Another idea to add with that is to check out Asian stores ---see if they have frozen quail. All of our Asian stores have them. Cut them like a chicken.

[Sherry Stone]

I use a cleaver or heavy chef's knife. Make a cut lengthwise in the meat above the bone to give you a bit of leverage. Then you have to "strong arm" it unfortunately. Just keep pushing down til the knife starts to bite into the bone, then you can lift it a bit(with the drumette "attached" to the knife) and just keep banging it on the cutting board. You won't be able to do a precise cut. The idea is to basically get it into two parts as best as possible, with as much bone attached as you can.

[caitmonster]

I have a heavy metal mallet and a dedicated concrete block for bone-breaking--kitchen counters weren't sturdy enough for the pounding!