Home prepared diets aren't perfect, but we can get pretty darn close while still respecting the carnivorous nature of the ferret...truth is, DIY 80/10/10 and whole prey diets are lacking. You should seriously consider these whole food additions to better round out the diet! Deficiencies and Their Controversies in The Ferret WorldMany ferret parents strongly believe that as long as you feed 80% meat, 10% bone, and 10% organs (PMR ratio diet), the diet is complete and balanced. But this is false! In order to learn more about this shocking truth I've had to branch out to feline & canine raw feeding communities, it's only there that I found it's not a new concept and has actually been a hot topic amongst raw feeders for years. Because having ferrets as pets is a relatively newer practice, raw feeding information available for them online is very basic. The intel I've received whilst talking to raw feeders in other communities is invaluable, and something I suggest everyone do. I've faced much backlash when recommending a few of these whole food sources to meet nutrient requirements, but as I see it crucial for a nutritionally adequate diet plan, I won't be stopping anytime soon. That being said, what you feed your animals is your own prerogative. Though, I really do recommend breaking out of the "80/10/10 ONLY" shell and widen your horizons as I did. ☆ Note- Nutrient deficiencies usually won't show themselves until months or even years down the line. Just because the diet you feed appears to be fulfilling now, doesn't mean it'll hold up long term. This is why it's so important to do independent research, and keep up to date in animal nutrition. The whole reason people can & do make claims that ratio diets are "bad" is because when analyzed against outlined nutritional standards (most commonly NRC guidelines) these diets usually fall short in a few common areas. Often having both extreme lows and highs in make up as well as unfavorable mineral interaction." -Erin Christy Certified Pet Nutritionist. https://www.rawpetsrule.com/ Whole Prey- The Perfect Model?The reason we prop whole prey diets on a high pedestal, is it's the closest you can get to species-appropriate-ism with all the intact parts, organs, and fur. However, feeding whole prey is difficult and has it's drawbacks, mainly due to expense and lack of reputable sources. Ferrets do better with small whole prey; mice, rats, rabbit and small birds. In many areas, the easiest places to source these animals are from laboratories / animal mills. This is where whole prey feeders run into problems. The quality of food depends entirely on the way it's kept and fed. Just because the animal is being raised for food, doesn't mean it should be treated poorly until it's culled! Rats kept in cramped and stressed conditions and fed cheap feed will offer less nutrients to your ferrets compared to rats raised ethically and fed well (learn more about this here.) If you feed whole prey and can only source from the places mentioned, this article will be of benefit to you as well- your ferrets may still be at risk of nutrient deficiencies. For quality control purposes, some raw feeders elect to breed their own prey. This is the preferred option, but definitely not reasonable for many people. Personally, I don't feed much whole prey currently as I want to ensure quality, and I can't do this unless I'm raising and breeding them myself. One of the reasons I do DIY "Frankenprey" style raw. With this method of feeding I can source organic, ethically raised meats and feel comfort knowing the animals were treated well (sure, that can't always be confirmed unless you go to the farm yourself, but you can determine nutrient quality via the meat itself too). When following DIY "Frankenprey" style raw, your ferrets are missing out on all the intact organs and parts from the prey animal. As discussed in my post on organs, most prey contains 25% organs by weight, yet we follow the "Prey Model" rule of only 10%. As mentioned, if you feed whole prey from rodent mills, this article will benefit you as well. Your Pet's Raw Diet May Be Lacking in...1. Omega-3 2. Vitamin D 3. Vitamin E 4. Iodine 5. Magnesium 6. Zinc 7. Manganese Before you freak out, there are ways to supply these nutrients in safe forms! #1 Omega-3 I've talked about the lack of essential omega-3 fatty acids in raw diets in this blog post, but in summary: most raw diets (even whole prey) are deficient in omega-3! This is due to factory farming and rodent mills rendering low quality meats. Most pet parents do not consider this fact when buying meat and prey for their ferrets, unintentionally offsetting the balance of healthy fats in their ferret's diet. Your ferrets need a proper mix of omega-3 and omega-6 for inflammation creation and management, brain & eye health, and much more. Most raw diets have an excess of omega-6 (creates inflammation), which can contribute to chronic inflammation in the body. Long term inflammation = cancers, heart disease, kidney problems, and more. ☆ 50-70% of ferrets over the age of 3 will develop some form of cancer, or multiple cancers. 2/3 of ferrets...this is NOT normal! I strongly suggest altering your ferret's diet to avoid excess inflammation as best you can. Fatty acid quick guide:
Here's a single example using the USDA National Database. The whole prey diet should consist of an overall fat percent of roughly ~5.7% with an Omega-6/Omega-3 ratio of 2:1-6:1. Factory farmed chicken (most of what you find in stores) is extremely unbalanced. As you can see from the chart, chicken legs with skin contain a fat percent of 12.1% and fatty acid ratio of 25:1. Chicken breast with skin & fat is 9.3% fat with a 25:1 ratio. It's all over the place, and very far off the whole prey diet. A single example of why strict 80/10/10 diets are insufficient. If you're feeding lots of grocery store chicken, duck, or pork, your ferrets are probably suffering from omega-3 deficiency. Best whole food sources of Omega-3 (according to USDA National Database):
☆ Quick tip: Skip the fish oil! Fish oil is a heavily processed fat oil very prone to oxidation = creates inflammation in the body. If you absolutely can't source fish for whatever reason, only then would I recommend this product. #2 Vitamin D Vitamin D along with A, E, & K is fat-soluble, meaning it's stored in the ferret's liver, muscles and adipose tissues. Used for calcium and phosphorus absorption, skin health and creating insulin. Deficiency can cause conditions known as rickets, nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism, along with overall poor bodily growth. Dogs, cats and ferrets lack the ability to synthesize enough vitamin D from the sun, so it must be supplied in their diet via animal-based foods. For ferrets, we follow the National Research Council (NRC) kitten requirements of 1.4mcg recommended allowance/1000kcal. Forms of Vitamin D:
Whole food sources naturally contain minimal amounts of this nutrient. In the wild, the polecat would mainly get their vitamin D from animal organs, which is why it's so important to rotate through organs, and offer slightly more than the 80/10/10 guidelines (remember- most prey contains ~25% organs by weight). You should keep liver to the 5%, but I suggest feeding foods with moderate levels of vitamin D to avoid deficiency:
#3 Vitamin E Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant, protecting the body from oxidation and free radical damage. This deficiency is not commonly reported in ferrets, but still something to consider because animal products are poor sources of this vitamin your ferrets most likely are not getting enough from their food- it mainly comes from plant based sources!
☆ Amount needed is dependent on the diet. If the diet is higher in polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) like chicken and pork, requirements increase. Animal based sources:
#4 Iodine Iodine is a trace nutrient responsible for thyroid hormone synthesis. Although uncommon (becoming more common now due to soil nutrient depletion), deficiency can cause enlargement of the thyroid gland. The amount of iodine in animal and plant based sources is very minimal, but high in marine products. For ferrets, we follow the NRC kitten requirements of 450mcg recommended allowance/1000kcal.
It can be found in lesser amounts in fish, beef, and liver. ☆ Iodine is very easy to overdose, aside from feeding animal-based sources, we don't add any extra. If you do believe your ferrets would benefit from an iodine supplement (and are not suffering from thyroid issues), follow dosing instruction from a Holistic veterinarian. Excessive iodine supplementation can result in the overproduction of the T4 and T3 in dogs and cats, which triggers unintended cascading effects: in dogs, the immune system may wind up attacking the thyroid gland (producing excessive amounts of thyroglobulin autoantibody) which end up suppressing thyroid levels and causing the very hypothyroidism it was meant to prevent; whereas in cats, the overdosing can result in overt hyperthyroidism." - Dr. Judy Morgan #5 Magnesium Magnesium is associated with calcium and phosphorus. 70% is found in bones and teeth, the amount absorbed is dependent on the animal's needs. Deficiency can cause soft tissue calcification and enlargement of long bone metaphysis. For ferrets, we follow the NRC kitten requirements of 100mg recommended allowance/1000kcal. While found in higher amounts in diets including meaty bones, seeds, and greens, for the hyper-carnivore not eating plant-based foods, it may be wise to consider an additional source of magnesium. magnesium can also be found in oily fish, a more species-appropriate and safe source of magnesium:
I feed one whole meal of small oily fish every week to meet magnesium requirements. #6 Zinc Zinc is one of the more common deficiencies found in DIY "Frankenprey" raw diets due to the lack of bioavailable zinc in many food sources. Zinc helps with protein synthesis, and releases vitamin A from the liver. Deficiency can mean poor skin & coat health, diarrhea, hair loss, and more. For ferrets, we follow the NRC kitten requirements of 18.5mg recommended allowance/1000kcal.
☆ Remember, raw shellfish should be cooked prior to feeding. We use canned in water, low sodium, no cooking required. #7 Manganese Another more common deficiency, manganese helps the joints and cell membranes, very useful for aging pets. This nutrient is lacking in diets not containing fibrous greens, seeds and nuts. Deficiency can cause poor bone growth and / or skeletal defects. For ferrets, we follow the NRC kitten requirements of 1.2mg recommended allowance/1000kcal. Thankfully, there are some animal-based sources of manganese out there:
☆ Remember, raw shellfish should be cooked prior to feeding. We use half shell mussels, which are already pre-steamed. "Complete and Balanced" vs "Nutritionally Adequate"The phrase, "complete and balanced" is almost always misleading. We have so much left to learn about animal and human nutrition, just barely scratching the surface. For processed pet foods to claim they're "complete and balanced" is a falsity. For raw feeders to call ratio diets "complete and balanced" is also a lie. A better term would be "nutritionally adequate" simply meaning, good enough. While that may be frightening to many, good enough is the best we can get in regards to nutrition, and is what the bulk of us follow for ourselves and our children. ☆ Do be careful supplementing foods to the kibble diet, as it's created to be fed "as is." Adding too many extras may throw off the synthetic nutrients in the food. If you feed kibble, you can feed fish in the forms of freeze dried single ingredient treats. ⚜Quick TL;DR summary of supplements for the nutritionally adequate raw diet:
Whether you want to attempt to fill nutritional gaps in the raw diet or not is your own prerogative. Based on my education in animal nutrition and extensive independent research on the subject, I do believe raw diets should be supplemented. This is coming from someone who initially was very, "meat and meat only, nothing more" for ferrets. Anything I add to my ferrets diet especially if it isn't meat has gone through extreme scrutiny and planning before implementation. Happy feeding! Read more about ratio diets & supplements: Case, Linda P. , et al. Canine and Feline Nutrition. Third Edition. Moseby, 2000. Dog Naturally Magazine's Pet Nutrition Course https://www.rawpetsrule.com/blog/the-prey-model-pmr-diet https://www.gsdstormy.com/post/adding-more-to-the-bowl-ratio-diets https://www.veterinarynutritiongroup.com/post/what-s-the-problem-with-prey-model-or-ratio-raw-diets https://thelittlecarnivore.com/en/blog/raw-feeding-cat-prey-model-raw-diet-origins-and-ratios Primal Pack- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaBU00VRgk9bxd662eDhVZA https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/raw-diets-for-dogs-getting-enough-vitamins-and-minerals/ https://www.rawfeedingadviceandsupport.com/vitamins-and-minerals-in-raw
1 Comment
6/30/2022 06:43:03 pm
Is it safe to use green lipp musse powder to ferrets? If so... how much do I feed?
Reply
Leave a Reply. |