If there is 90% meat and organs - why is there only 60% CRUDE protein? CRUDE protein does NOT equate to digestible protein. Ferrets as obligate carnivores cannot digest proteins from plant sources. CRUDE protein is analysed from ALL the ingredients in the package - bone, nails, feathers are all made of protein which contributes to the CRUDE protein levels - but is a far cry from the digestible proteins in the package.
Organic chicken is listed as first ingredient - but is that the WHOLE chicken? Including feathers and offal? Or just the chicken MEAT? It does not specify.
Second ingredient is simply chicken meal which comes with its own interesting description and questionable sources :
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_mealThird is chicken fat - no problems there - ferrets make good use of fats. And this likely imparts a tantalizing taste to the kibble.
Fourth ingredient listed is Chicken Giblets, o.k. - those are all good digestible protein sources.
Ingredient 5 is Gelatin; gelatin is usually derived from pork and cows ( likely because there are so many of them slaughtered)
www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Gelatin.html Gelatin is a high protein item that offers digestible protein.
So from the outset the first 5 ingredients are meaty or meaty type sources - all well and good you say? Well what happens when you keep reading the ingredient list and find:
Plant products such as: Apple, Beet pulp, Inulin, Blueberries and Tomato. While most of us can easily see the fruits and vegetable sources there - what the heck is "Inulin" and where does THAT come from? Well, it's a high fiber plant based sweetener - often coming from onion and garlic sources which are plants known to be toxic to ferrets! The fruits and vegetables listed don't specify what form is used in the ingredients - whole, shredded, dehydrated, powdered etc - but from the ferret's digestive tract point of view - they are simply WASTE materials -indigestible products filling up the space but with enough carbohydrates in them to contribute to insulinoma, obesity, poor oral health and if whole pieces of dried plants, can cause possible intestinal blockages!
Then you get in to the extracts: Oregano, Sage, & Rosemary; now unless the term "extract" has been changed - any "extract" is simply a concoction of one product with alcohol! And this item has three extracts!
They list Taurine as part of their ingredients, but no where on the labeling does it specify how MUCH, nor how much Taurine per serving can be ingested! It may be listed, but is it at any sort of beneficial amount? Who knows?
The same holds true for all the remaining added vitamins and minerals and probiotoc and prebiotics.
MAYBE this product is better than the average kibble out there, MAYBE its even better than the grain free kibbles it competes against - but in no way is it an adequate substitute for simply feeding raw meaty bones, natural prey and whole prey items!
With all the information their label offers about types of kibbles, and how to introduce new kibble, and how their food can be fed ( sole meal or top dressed) there are two glaring omissions and they are 1) what is the guaranteed calorie content per ounce of their food? And 2) how much do they recommend to feed per day as a sole meal portion? With this information you can figure cost per meal.
Considering the cost of just the product ( not including shipping) at 3 lbs for 13.49 - I can buy a LOT of raw meaty bones or organs. For the same 13.49 I can get: 5 1lb whole cornish game hens OR 8 20 oz packages of chicken gizzards and hearts OR 7 lbs of Chicken necks OR 7 1 lb tubs of Turkey hearts!
Feeding these raw, natural items offers ferrets COMPLETE protein digestibility, NO plant items, NO artificial or plant derived sweeteners, HUMAN GRADE edible meat sources with edible bone and offers excellent oral health too!
When feeding raw items I figure quantities to be equal in weight to the size of an adult mouse (about 1 to 2 ounces) or in realistic terms 1 mouse will weigh about the same as one whole Cornish Game hen wing, or the drumette of a regular chicken wing, or the middle part and wing tip of a regular chicken wing - these raw meaty bones also offer plenty of edible bone as well as fatty skin. One half of a medium size turkey heart is about an ounce - but it is all meat - so I'll dust with crushed cuttlefish or ground eggshell to add some extra calcium. See how that works? Since its all pretty much digestible, this has worked well for me over the years. If a meaty item has more meat than skin or fat, I’ll offer fat as free choice lard licks. Items with lots of skin also offer more digestible collagens and fats so the lard licks aren't offered then. There are more items on my ferret's menu than what I've mentioned variety after all, is the spice of life!
So let's say, for the sake of argument that the Epigen 90 can be fed at 1 to 2 ounces per meal to maintain good weight for an active ferret ; we'll make it the same as an adult mouse - but looking at those ingredients - I know that there is NOT the same nutrient density in the kibble as there is in natural. So 3 lbs of Epigen 90 yields 48 ounces or between 24 and 48 meals and costs 4.97 per pound or .28 cents per ounce or up to .56 cents per meal. The same amount of money spent on 5 cornish game hens at 2.68 each will yield 80 ounces or between 40 to 80 meals! Cost is 2.68 per pound or .17 cents per ounce or up to .34 cents per meal!
Kind of stifles those comments about feeding raw costing MORE than kibble doesn't it?
Cheers,
Kim
The short end is that Epigen90 MAY be better than some "grain free" kibbles, and is likely quite better than any store brand kibble - but it is definitely NOT as good as feeding naturally, nor as inexpensive!
