Omega-3 is one of the many nutrients overlooked in the diets of ferrets. This post goes into detail the importance of Omega-3, and the easiest ways to provide it. Along with protein, fat is a very critical component in a ferret’s diet. Not only does fat provide your ferrets with energy, but it also aids in cell membrane formation, hormone control, inflammation maintenance, and absorption of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. It’s important to ensure you're providing a good balance of fats, and the right fats for your ferrets. Types of fats...There are many types of fats but the ones we focus on in raw feeding is triglyceride. Specifically, saturated and unsaturated. Your ferrets need a good mix of both. Fatty acids are the building blocks of fats. They consist of; short chain, medium chain, and long chain. Long chain is mostly what we focus on in raw feeding. The 3 main fatty acids are... 1. Omega-9: Non-essential. 2. Omega-6: Essential. 3. Omega-3: Essential. Tip: Omega-3 helps control inflammation and Omega-6 creates the inflammation. Both of these fats are crucial to the ferret, you need a proper mix of both. Even though inflammation sounds scary, Omega-6 is required in the diet for blood clotting and cell growth. Together, they work as one to create a solid immune system. The problem is, many people feed diets high in Omega-6 and fail to provide a balance. In the wild, the diet of the polecat consists of whole prey animals. These animals have a much better ratio of fats. When compared to farmed chicken and pork, Omega-6 levels are quite high. Meaning, diets of farmed prey without Omega-3 supplements, will contribute to chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation can kickstart allergies, kidney disease, heart disease, cancers...a whole load of problems you don't want. Let’s take a look at a chart comparing wild prey and farmed animals. These charts I found on feline-nutrition.org This first chart is comparing wild duck meat and farmed duck meat. In wild duck, you can see the protein is higher, fat is lower, and it’s much less calories per pound. This carries over to most wild prey vs farmed meats, and something to really consider when feeding our ferrets. It’s always best to aim for free range, pasture raised and organic meats. According to these charts, farmed chickens have 6 to 25 times more omega-6 than omega-3. As you can see, chicken parts are sort of all over the place. Chicken breast with skin and separable fat removed, has a much better ratio than chicken breast with skin and fat intact. Same for chicken leg and thighs. Now you see that diets without added omega-3 can cause serious problems for your ferret. By the way, this can be said for ferrets fed any diet. From raw to kibble. Though kibble will often have omega-3 added into the food, usually in less than ideal forms such as fish oil. This is still applicable to kibble fed ferrets, especially fed diets with added grains and ingredients that themselves, have a poor fat ratio (most commercial ferret foods). So how do we fix the fats in our ferrets diet? The absolute best way to provide a proper balance of fats is to feed whole prey animals; mice, rats, and small birds. But, not everyone can afford to feed whole prey, and that’s totally okay! I happen to be one of those people, so instead I feed fish and mussels. Eggs also work, but I wouldn’t rely on them as your only source of Omega-3. 1. Fish is an amazing addition to any diet and in my eyes, a key element. It doesn’t just contain healthy fats, it provides a plethora of nutrients beneficial to your ferrets. It's important to keep consumption at a minimum, don't go overboard! Wild caught, small oily fish like atlantic mackerel and sardines are great options. Sardines can be canned but should be in water with no added salt. Some people opt for salmon. You can either do one meal of safe fish, or throw in a little bit into a meal they enjoy. I’m not super picky about how much I feed, just keep it relatively small in comparison to the other components of the raw diet. If you feed kibble, you can feed freeze dried fish treats. It won’t be the same, but still beneficial. I like the Pure Bites brand salmon treats.
2. Green Lipped Mussels contain a rarer form of Omega-3 called ETA along with many other nutrients like glucosamine and glycogens and various trace minerals (ref) (ref). I feed 1 large mussel a week for my 5 ferrets. There is no official dose, but keep it small. GLM sold half shells or no shells have been pre cooked but if they’re sold closed, they need a bit of cooking. You can do GLM powder if you can’t source fresh or frozen, but it won’t be the same. Cold extracted is the best kind. 3. Fish Oil Fish oil does contain a hefty amount of Omega-3 but it comes with many risks that pet owners are not generally aware of.
As you can see, to balance poultry- fish and phytoplankton are your best options. For ferrets, fish is a better choice in my opinion. To balance diets with beef and other ruminant animals, like lamb and goat, you should feed foods low in saturated fat, higher in PUFA and omega-3. Again, fish is the best option for ferrets.
In summary, balancing fats is an important job of a ferret owner. Never skip out on that fish! Especially if you feed a lot of poultry and farmed meats, in raw or processed form.
More readings... https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/omega-3-for-dogs-the-ultimate-guide/ https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/protecting-dogs-from-cancer-omega-3/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2722199/ https://perfectlyrawsome.com/raw-feeding-knowledgebase/nrc-essential-nutrients-fatty-acids/ https://www.ziwipets.com/blog/ingredients/blog-post-green-lipped-mussels https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8911273/ https://laurensworldofwellness.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/something-fishy-farm-raised-vs-wild-caught-fish/ https://greennews.ie/fish-oil-supplements-environmental-impact/#:~:text=Environmental%20impact,such%20as%20anchovies%20and%20krill. https://www.npr.org/2018/07/09/627229213/the-science-and-environmental-hazards-behind-fish-oil-supplement
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